Two Roads Diverged
by The Blue Raven
Summary: Total AU. When her car breaks down on Route 88, Mel doesn’t meet a certain Cirronian Tracker. Her life changes completely and battlelines are seriously redrawn as a result of a different chance meeting.
1. Chapter 1

**Two Roads Diverged **

Summary: Total AU. When her car breaks down on Route 88, Mel doesn't meet a certain Cirronian Tracker. Her life changes completely and battle-lines are seriously redrawn as a result of a different chance meeting.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own them but, hey, just as soon as that deal with Zin goes through…

Timeline: Throughout season 1, touching on many of the key eps.

Spoilers: For most of the first season.

**_This has too many spoilers in it to count. If you have not yet seen ep 21, "What Lies Beneath", I highly recommend against reading past this point. You'll ruin an entire season for yourself. Please tread lightly._**

Author's Note: This story seems to have basically written itself in three-chapter units, most of which more or less correspond with various key eps in the series: the Pilot ep (1-3), "Cloud 9"(4-6), "To Catch a Dessarian"(10-12), & What Lies Beneath"(13-15) … 7 through 9 roughly replace "Trust" in the timeline and then 16 will serve as an epilogue or tag.

Author's Note: Thanks to Kameka for betaing and making several good suggestions.

Feedback: Better than Fek-Maln. Always welcomed and much appreciated. Consider how different this one is, I'll be interested to see how it's received. Please, though, no flames because Mel spend the fic dating someone other than our favorite Cirronian… Beyond that, though, let me know what you think :)

**Two Roads Diverged**

_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I-_

_I took the one less traveled by._

_And that has made all the difference._

-- Robert Frost

**Chapter 1**

Mel made an annoyed sound in her throat and clicked off the cell-phone. It was going to be quite awhile before a tow-truck arrived according to the dispatcher she had talked to. Typical. Shaking her head, she grabbed her purse, fully prepared to walk to the nearest town. 

***

"No, no, Lana." Zin muttered into his phone. "It's fine. I fully trust your judgment, my dear. Besides, I _will_ be back in town by this evening."

"Yes, Doctor Zin."

He hung up his phone and returned his full attention to the road. Having just passed a parked car, he was not particularly surprised to see a human walking down the road. The EM field generated by the wormhole must have stalled her car. She was attractive for one of the 'locals', he noted. It was a different kind of beauty than that which one might expect to see in a Vardian woman, of course, but Zin had never really been in the habit of restricting himself on the basis of species. Nothing wrong with having a little fun with the locals while he was planet-side, and either way her company could well ease an otherwise boring car-ride. Shrugging to himself, he slowed down and rolled down the passenger-side window. 

"Looks like you could use a ride," he greeted her.

Mel regarded the motorist uncertainly. She knew better than to accept a ride from a strange man, but she did not want to _walk_ God only knew how far back to the nearest town, either. He was smiling benignly at her, though, and there was nothing of menace in his manner.

"I don't bite," he promised, noting her wary expression. Pausing, he grinned and added, "Often."

Mel could not help but smile in response to that pronouncement, and his infectious smile, but her cautious nature was still telling her to refuse his offer. "No thanks. I'm fine, really."

"At least use my phone to call someone," he told her, leaning across the seat and holding it out the window.

"I did. The tow-truck is going to take forever, so I'm walking. It's fine."

Zin frowned and retracted the phone. "You sure you don't want a ride?" he offered again, glancing at his clock. 

He still had plenty of time to meet Lana for dinner and discuss the day's activities. No harm done in helping out a damsel in distress, and no time really lost. Part of him was amused that his sense of chivalry remained intact given the course he had set himself down. But her company would divert him on an otherwise boring car ride, and it cost him nothing to help her. If nothing else it would give him a chance to practice human socialization techniques. Nor did it hurt that she really _was_ remarkably easy on the eyes. There was something else about her, too, something less readily definable but worlds more intriguing. And strangely familiar as well. Most curious. He _had_ to know more.

Mel hesitated, glancing again at the smiling man who promised that he did not bite. Often. There was something indefinable about him, something that drew her to him, made her want to know more. It was elemental, instinctive. Not one in the habit of accepting rides from strangers, she found herself doing just that, even before she was really aware of it.

"I really _could_ use a ride, I guess."

"What happened?"

"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged and made a face. "The radio died, then the AC, then the engine."

"Sounds like something in the electrical system. I'd offer to fix it, but I'd probably only make it worse," he laughed.

"Yeah, never a mechanic around when you need one, is there?"

"Never. Hop in, my dear. I promise, I'm harmless." He smiled again, amused. "Relatively speaking, of course."

Mel grinned and nodded, climbing into the car. "I really do appreciate it, Mister…" She looked at him questioningly.

  
"Zin. Julius Zin."

"I'm Mel, uh, Porter. Mel Porter… It's nice to meet you, Mister Zin." Mel smiled and nodded. 

"Oh, my dear, _please_ don't call me that," he chuckled. "Julius is just fine."

"Julius," she said, smiling at him. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem at all, my dear," he assured her absently, fiddling with the radio for a moment before giving up and stopping on a talk station. "Feel free to change the station," he told Mel, shaking his head. "Always assuming you can find _anything _decent."

Mel smiled and nodded. "Tell me about it. All talk these days, isn't it?" she asked, turning the dial. "Ah," she said with a grin, settling on a light jazz station. "This works for you?"

Zin nodded, smiling at her. "I like your taste in music, my dear."

"Okay, _why_ do you keep calling me that?" Mel asked, shaking her head.

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

"Little," she admitted, shrugging. "I mean, hell, you can call me _whatever_ you want, Julius. I really owe you one, after all. I was just curious as to _why_."

He shrugged absently. "I call many young women dear. If it bothers you, I'll call you Mel."

"I'd appreciate it," she said quietly, uncomfortable.

Zin smiled over at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Mel it is, then. Lovely name. Short for Melissa, is it?"

"Melanie, actually."

"Melanie?" he repeated, smiling to himself. Very similar to one of the many Cirronian words for beauty. "Yes, the name works for you. Lovely."

"Um… thanks." Mel smiled and shrugged, feeling a little shy, but also remarkably comfortable with him. Her savior really was quite a charming man. Just so long as he did not ask the obvious question.

"So, what _are_ you doing, driving alone in the middle of nowhere like this?" he asked conversationally.

_Damn_… Mel considered lying, then decided that it really did not matter. "I… just got back from breaking up with my boyfriend," she admitted, looking out the window.

Not sure where the comment came from, Zin told her, "His loss."

Mel raised an eyebrow at the remark and took a moment to compose herself before responding. "He didn't seem too broken up by it."

"Twice the fool," Zin informed her flatly. "You can do better."

"Um, thanks," she said shifting uncomfortably.

Zin observed her for a moment before speaking again. Right, there was that human thing. What was it called? Ah, subtlety. 

"I really can be unforgivably blunt at times, I'm afraid," he told her. "I hope it's not _too_ off-putting."

"No, no. It's fine. I'm just not used to strange men… um, men I don't know," she corrected herself quickly, stopping as Zin began laughing merrily. "Sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Not at all…" He chuckled and shook his head. "You find me strange, then, do you?"

"Not particularly, no." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I meant--"

"I know. It was a joke." Zin winked at her. "You always this tense, Melanie, or is it simply that riding in cars with strange men makes you nervous?"

Mel laughed and shook her head. "Little of both, Julius." Rambling, as she tended to do when nervous, she continued, "Not that I make a habit of accepting rides from men I don't know, and I'm really _not_ that nervous right now. Although, according to Jess, women just don't _come_ any more wound-up than me…"

"Well, this Jess obviously doesn't know a good thing when he sees one."

"Jess is a woman," Mel corrected him, doing her best to ignore the flattery. Jess was a welcome distraction. "She works for me."

Zin nodded. "Ah. And what does she _do_ for you?" he inquired, pleased that he actually seemed to be managing at this 'small-talk' quite well. It was not that much different from intelligence gathering, definitely a useful skill.

"Tend bar." At his raised eyebrow, she absently explained. "I recently inherited a bar from my grandmother. Inherited Jess along with it."

"I see." Zin took a moment to process her words, considering his own next ones. "I'm sorry about your grandmother. Were you close?"

"She raised me."

Zin reached across the car and touched two fingers to her cheek before moving them to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Melanie," he said gently, meaning it. Losing a mother-figure was never an easy thing. 

Mel was a little surprised to find herself on the receiving end of his touch on such short acquaintance. Still, there was something strangely comforting about it and Mel was grateful for that. 

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It still hurts. I understand."

"But… she lived a full life, you know." Mel shrugged. "Long one, too… she had that bar before Prohibition." 

"Many years," Zin observed, nodding. "It's your family business, then?" As he understood it, although humans did not have castes per se, families frequently all engaged in the same line of work.

"Not really… My dad's a lawyer."

"Hmm." Zin considered for a moment before nodding and dropping the subject. 

Though curious, the Vardian refrained from asking the obvious questions about why she had been raised by her grandmother with at least one parent alive. He deliberately steered the conversation to lighter topics, sensing the pretty young human's sorrow. The rest of the drive was spent in idle conversation where much was said but little was conveyed. When he dropped her off at her bar, he knew as much about her as he had five minutes into the drive. But his curiosity was definitely peaked. There was _definitely_ something about her…

"You have a lovely evening, Melanie," Zin told her as she climbed from the car. "And take care of yourself."

"Yeah, Julius. Thanks." Mel smiled at him. "Thanks for everything. Good luck at your meeting."

"Thank you." 

He smiled and nodded, thoughtfully watching her go into the bar. There was something so very familiar about her. He just could not put his finger on it. Never one to abandon any project halfway through, he made a mental note to pursue the matter until he had resolved it to his satisfaction. 

***

"Yeah, Mar… I swear, we get one more DB this week and I am literally going to scream."

"Sure, Vicky… And I'm going to be the next president of los Estados Unidos." 

Vic chuckled and shook his head. "Look, I'm going to swing around that scene one more time before I meet you…" He sighed and shook his head. "Let me call you back," he said, hanging up the phone and climbing out of the car. "_Mother of God_, not another one," he murmured as he took in the naked body lying on the ground near the chalk outline.

Half naked and not a body at all, he saw with some relief. Still… half naked guy lying in chalk outline? It was going to be one of those nights.

"Comfy down there?" he asked, cautiously approaching the man.

Daggon looked up at him warily, trying to mimic the sounds which he could only assume to be human speech. He failed miserably. Like the body itself, the vocal organs were _not_ easy to manipulate without extensive practice. It had taken him hours to get the hang of walking in the body.

Vic took a startled step backwards. "Yeah…" He sighed and shook his head, crouching in front of the obviously disoriented man. "You have a name?" he asked gently. At the other man's blank look, he tried again. "El nombre?"

More garbled sounds.

"Yeah, well, let's just put in a call to social services, huh?" Vic suggested quietly, rising and pulling out his cell-phone.

"So… cial… serv… sis?"

"Yeah." Vic nodded and regarded him apologetically. "My friend, you need to spend a few days in a hospital."

"Fur…end?" he repeated, regarding Vic hopefully. Friend, ally. He could use one of those right now.

"That's right," Vic assured him, nodding. "Let's get you taken care of. It's too cold for you to be running around like that anyway." He pulled out his phone and dialed, quickly arranging for an ambulance and a room in the state hospital. The guy needed to be under observation. Having arranged for that, he called his partner back. "Mar, something's come up and I'm going to be late."

"Everything okay?" Maria asked, her concern obvious.

Vic smiled at her tone of voice. "Everything's fine. I just came across a guy who's in serious need of a physical followed by a Mandatory 48." 

"A psych eval? You need back-up there, Partner?" 

Vic watched the underwear-clad man nosing around the crime scene and smiled. "Nah, Mar. He may be a nut, but he seems basically harmless." 

"Yeah, just don't let your guard down."

"Hadn't planned to. So, beer another night?"

"How long do you think you'll be?"

"Ambulance should be here in 10 minutes."

"Let's stick to tonight, then. I'm already here. I can get started without you." She laughed. "And _still_ manage to drink you under the table." 

Vic laughed and nodded. "Fine, Mar. Fine. See you in an hour or so." Still laughing, he hung up.

Daggon's head shot up at the sound. He tentatively imitated it.

Vic frowned at him, hanging up. He frowned right back. Vic bit his lower lip, tilting his head. And was promptly imitated. Incoherent or not, this man was trying to communicate with him. He looked up as the ambulance pulled up.

"It's okay, it's okay," Vic assured Daggon as he started backing away from the paramedics, his expression suspicious. "These men are going to help you. You understand? _Help_." 

"Help… need help." Daggon nodded faintly.

"Yeah, yeah you do." Vic nodded. "These men are going to look at you and make sure you aren't sick, then they're going to take you somewhere warm. Okay?"

"Oh… kay." Daggon nodded slowly.

Vic smiled reassuringly. "Good. Good man. You just let them help you and they'll have you squared away in no time." Giving him another reassuring smile and a nod, he turned to leave.

"Friend," Daggon called after him, ignoring the paramedics taking his vitals. 

Vic sighed and turned to face him, his expression apologetic. "You're going to be okay. I promise." He sighed at the hopeful look on the other man's face. "I'll come visit you, okay?" he offered, not sure exactly what compelled him to do so except that the guy so obviously _needed_ it. 

"Visit," he repeated hesitantly, nodding. More firmly, "Visit."

"Okay. Vic shrugged. "I will. And you go with these guys and let them help you."

"Help. Need help."

"Yes, yes you do." Vic nodded faintly. "And we're going to get that for you. You're going to be fine. You just go with these guys," he repeated over his shoulder as he walked back to his car. Feeling strangely unsettled by the odd encounter, he drove to the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

****

Chapter 2

"So, was he cute?" Jess asked with a grin, leaning on the bar and giving Mel a conspiratorial look.

"There's just no right answer to that question, is there?" Mel chuckled, shaking her head.

"Not really. But was he, Mel?"

"Yeah, Jess. He was pretty cute." She shrugged. "Like it matters since I'll never… see him again," she added quietly as the bar's door swung open. "Julius?" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Melanie," he greeted her with a smile. Hands behind his back, he crossed the bar, a slight young woman in a well-tailored suit following close on his heels. His smile widened as he pulled his hands from behind his back and presented her with a bouquet of ivory-colored roses. "I didn't know what variety of flowers you favor, so I went with an old stand-by."

"Oh, Julius, they're lovely, but I can't…" Mel grinned shyly and shook her head.

"Not a rose person, hmm? Damn. I _knew_ I should have gone with tulips." He shook his head sadly.

"You really shouldn't have," Mel told him softly, not meeting his eye. Her gaze shifted to the young girl behind him, standing and looking on impassively. "This is Jess," she told Zin, nodding to the barmaid. "And this would be?"

Zin inclined his head politely in Jess' direction before returning his attention to Mel. "This is Lana, my personal assistant." He gently drew her towards Mel and Jess.

"Nice to meet you, Lana," Mel said, extending her hand.

"Lana," Zin murmured when she did not immediately accept it.

Lana's hand shot out and she shook Mel's firmly. "A pleasure, Miss Porter."

"Nice to meet you, too," Mel said, staring down at the tiny hand squeezing her own with more strength than a woman of just around five feet and no more than 90 pounds should have been able to muster.

"Give us a few minutes, child," Zin directed, gesturing for Lana to fall back.

"As you say." Bowing her head, she took several steps backwards before turning on her heel and walking to one of the couches along the far wall. Her manner as she moved was not dissimilar to that of a panther on the prowl.

"Nice kid," Mel remarked quietly, not quite sure _what_ to make of the girl. 

In spite of her professional appearance and polite demeanor, shaking Lana's hand had left Mel's skin crawling. She was vaguely familiar, as Julius himself had been, not because she had met either of them before, but because there was a _feel_ about them, something that reminded her of something else entirely. But whereby Julius with his quick laugh and ready smile was charming, Lana with her expressionless face and keen eyes was just unsettling.

"So, you're the knight in a shining three-piece suit who saved our Mel?" Jess asked, smiling winningly at Zin. Attractive, well groomed, obviously moneyed, and possessed of an aura of intelligence and confidence. Mel had finally found herself a keeper, and about bloody time.

"All in a day's work, my dear," Zin assured her, returning her smile with one just as wide before turning his attention back to Mel. "I hope you don't think it forward of me to come here like this," he said simply, offering the flowers again.

And charming, too. "Why don't I put these in water for you, Mel," Jess offered, relieving Zin of the flowers and giving Mel a stern 'do _not_ blow this' look.

"You… do that, Jess," Mel told her, frowning.

"I do have an ulterior motive for being here," Zin confessed quietly to Mel, his eyes twinkling.

Cautious smile in place, Mel asked, "Do you?"

"I was hoping you might be convinced to join me for dinner some time? Perhaps a movie afterwards?"

"As in… a… date?" Mel asked, blinking in surprise. 

"Mmm, as in… dinner and a show," Zin told her gently, patting her hand. "Which may, perhaps, lead to other dinners and other shows."

"I… I don't… I'm not sure it's a good idea. Rebound relationships have a habit of not working out," Mel pointing out softly, shaking her head apologetically. "And I _did_ just break up with someone and… I… I wouldn't want to get into a relationship where I might not be…"

"I know. That's why I'm not asking for a relationship," he explained with a shrug. "Call it… an association. I like you, Melanie, and I enjoy your company. I want to get to know you better. Surely there's nothing wrong with that?" 

He glanced over his shoulder to where Lana was tapping her foot impatiently. She had _not_ been happy about this deviation from their time-line, especially since she viewed it as being the result of nothing more than a silly whim. Only the fact that Daggon seemed not to have put in an appearance was keeping her anger in check. He scowled warningly at her. Shrugging sullenly, she rose and stalked over to the jukebox, punching up a song. Zin almost laughed aloud at her selection of 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World'. Lana's version of a not so subtle hint that there was _work_ to be done.

Smiling faintly, he returned his attention to Mel. "Dinner. Or just drinks if you prefer. Coffee, even? We can go to an art gallery," he suggested.

"You always this persistent?"

"If I want something, I work until I have it. It's not uncommon," he pointed out.

"Guess not…" she began, frowning. If he _wanted_ something? Not the way most men spoke about women, not to their faces, at least…

"No commitment, Melanie," he pressed. "Just… two people keeping each other company for a few hours. No harm in that. We can even bring Jess here and Lana along as chaperones if you'd like," he offered with a laugh.

"Babysitting is _not_ in my job description, Doctor Zin," Lana pointed out in a low voice that still carried clearly across the bar. Shaking her head, she punched up another song, 'Time is Running Out' this time.

Her hints were getting less subtle. Zin sighed and shook his head, murmuring, "Good help is _so_ hard to find."

Lana's head shot up and she regarded him with a playful grin. She was the best and they both knew it. Shrugging, she walked to the far end of the bar, fishing out her cell-phone. No sign of the Tracker yet, which she considered promising, but her 'optimism' was cautious at best. She would believe that he was not planet-side at about the same times as they had achieved their objective and returned home. 

Mel glanced over to Jess, who was making a point of staying at the far end of the bar and pretending to mind her own business. Her resolve was starting to falter. He really _did_ seem like a sweet guy, and _very_ charming. Handsome, too, and a professional. Definitely not in the mold of the jerks she usually dated. And there was that indefinable _something_ about him…

She gave Zin a slight smile and nodded. "I'd like to get together with you some time, Julius. It would be fun."

"Yes," he agreed, nodding. "It will be. When is good for you?"

"Um…"

"Her Wednesday evening is _wide_ open," Jess announced cheerfully, rejoining them.

"Is it now?" Zin asked, smiling at the young matchmaker. He liked her and not just because she seemed intent on advancing his cause. "And what _time_ is best for Miss Porter, do you think?"

Mel groaned softly.

Jess ignored her. "Eight would be just wonderful, _Doctor_ Zin."

***

"So, how is John Doe doing?" Vic asked Doctor Jenny Wyatt as they walked.

"He says his name is Daggon, and he was a _lot_ better once we got him into a general population. Look at this." 

She led him into a large day-room where people sat around individually or in small clusters. Daggon was sitting in a corner, engaged in animated conversation with a girl of perhaps 13. 

"The girl is Karen Jackson. She's been selectively mute since she was _eight_," Jenny told Vic, shaking her head.

"Whoa… So, what's wrong with… Daggon?"

"Not a clue. My initial diagnosis was autism based on his problems communicating. But…" She shook her head. "Hey, Daggon!" she called.

His head shot up and he smiled and waved. Speaking a few words to the girl, he rose and hurried over to them. "Hello, Doctor Jenny. My friend," he greeted Vic.

"You remember this gentleman, Daggon?" Jenny asked.

He nodded. "Met… last night. Crime scene."

"That's right." She nodded, smiling and patting his shoulder. "This is Victor Bruno, Daggon. He's a Detective, a police officer."

"Victor Bruno." He nodded, smiling. A police officer. Wonderful. He could definitely make good use of an association with a local police officer. "I am Daggon."

"Call me Vic. It's nice to meet you, Daggon," Vic told him, offering his hand. This guy was obviously not all there, but he was worlds away from the man he had met last night. It was uncanny, how quickly he had improved. And not a trace of alcohol or drugs in his system, either, or any sign of head trauma. Very strange.

  
Daggon shook Vic's hand as Jenny had taught him to and smiled. 

"And how is Karen today, Daggon?" Jenny asked softly.

"Happy." He smiled widely. "Karen is happy. Karen… promise, talk every day. Many time." His smile faded slightly. "Karen need talk. Very sad, most time."

"Yeah, yeah she is, Daggon, but if she'll talk to us, we can help her."

"She _will_ talk. She promised." He smiled happily and waved to the girl. When she had waved back, he looked down at Jenny again. "Daggon leave now?"

Jenny sighed. "Daggon, I told you. We need to keep you here for two whole days. Then we are going to find a place for you to stay."

He frowned and shook his head. "_Must_ leave. _Now_," he told her firmly. 

Vic shifted slightly, wondering if the clearly agitated man was about to strike out at Jenny.

"I can't let you leave, Daggon," she told him gently, obviously unfazed. "There are _laws_."

He shook his head, frustrated tears in his eyes. "Not dangerous, not take life. Let _go_," he pled.

"Hey, it's just one more day," Vic told him gently.

"Long time," he sighed, shaking his head. "Very long. Too long. _Now_."

"Tomorrow," Vic told him firmly, surprised by his obvious distress. "You can handle it for one more day, I'm sure."

Karen approached them, her expression angry. "You made Daggon sad," she announced, scowling at them and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Daggon hugged her back, closing his eyes. "Not their fault, Karen. No anger. No anger…"

"No anger," she repeated quietly, nodding. "Yeah, I know. Anger is bad. It turns inward, turns _you_ inward…"

"Yes," he agreed, nodding firmly. "_No anger_, Karen."

"Why don't we let you two get back to the conversation you were having," Jenny suggested gently. 

Daggon frowned but nodded. "Yes. Come, Karen," he said, ushering her away.

"Wow, he really bonded with that girl," Vic observed as they walked back to Jenny's office.

"What amazes me is that she bonded right back." Jenny shook her head. "He did what we've been trying to for five years and failing at."

"What did he say to her?"

"He didn't. He just walked up to her and took her hands in his and five seconds later, she's telling him her life-story."

"Weird."

"I don't know, Vic. There is something about him for sure. I mean, his working vocabulary has gone up by several hundred words overnight. He listens, he mimics, he remembers." She shook her head. "It doesn't _work_ like that!"

"Obviously it does in his case. So what's his story?"

"No clue. Like I said, I initially was thinking autism between the communication problems and the echolalia, but… those are both almost gone. With the exception of verbal skills and the fact that he's completely illiterate, his IQ scores are off the charts. Call MIT and look for a missing physicist because this guy is…" She shook her head. "He's something else."

"What about his fingerprints? Anything on that yet?"

"He has none, Vic."

Vic frowned. "What, he had them burned off?"

She shook her head. "Not as far as we can tell. His hands and fingers have no lines, either. Hell, his entire body is devoid of distinguishing characteristics. Not so much as an appendix scar. It's like…" She shook her head again. "Never mind."

"What?" Vic pressed, frowning.

"Like he's… an unfinished statue or something. Like the details still need to be added, or the sculptor just didn't know what he was doing." She shrugged, not about to tell Vic that she felt that the same was true of the patient's personality. "Got to be some genetic thing."

Vic nodded. "What else can you tell me about him?"

"Not much. Hates the air conditioner and doesn't much like clothes, either." 

"Beg your pardon?" Vic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He flatly refused to wear them until I told him that it was the rule."

"Huh. What else?"

"Well, he says he had a wife and daughter who were murdered several years ago."

"Ouch."

"I think that's why he gravitated towards Karen like he did. She must remind him of the girl in some way."

Vic nodded. "Makes sense, I guess."

She nodded. "My guess, and it _would_ be a guess, is reactive psychosis. Something happened that pushed him over the edge and now he's coming back down from that."

"He dangerous?"

She shook her head quickly. "No." Usually she would have reserved judgment, giving an answer along the lines of 'probably not'. With Daggon, she was, strangely, confident in being equivocal. 

"So you let him go after the observation's over? What happens then?" Vic asked, concerned about a man who so obviously needed help of _some_ sort.

"Well, if we can't find his family, we put him into a half-way house, get him a job, vocational training, some sort of counseling…"

Vic nodded. "Can I talk to him?"

"If you'd like, sure." She nodded and rose. "Always assuming I can peel him away from Karen."


	3. Chapter 3

****

Chapter 3

"Absolutely no sign of the Tracker," Lana informed Zin as they drove back to his office. "And Rhee still leaving a trail of bodies…"

"Yes, well, that could draw all the wrong sorts of attention to us. Proceed as you see fit."

Lana smiled faintly and nodded. 

"And add Miss Porter's favorite type of flowers to that list of information I need."

"_What_ is her appeal to you?" Lana asked, shaking her head and writing it down.

"I have no idea." He shook his head. "There's just something very… familiar about her."

"Familiar? The woman comes from a species of talking _monkeys_, Zin. There is nothing about her even remotely similar to _any_ of the Migar species." She shook her head. "Just tell me that it's completely physical?" she pled. "You are _not_ falling in love with a non-Vardian, are you?"

"Oh, of course not." He shook his head dismissively. "But we may be on this planet for awhile. A man needs to have his fun and _you_, my dear, are a busy woman."

Lana scoffed and shook her head. "Well, Doctor Zin, given all the hard work you do, you are _certainly_ entitled to an occasionally diversion. The Sar-Top contingent will arrive this afternoon," she added.

"Wonderful."

She nodded wordlessly. 

"You will treat Miss Porter with the respect she is due as my consort," Zin informed her mildly.

"Is she your _consort_ now? Does _she_ know that?" Lana asked, amused.

"She will."

"You aren't going to tell her about us, are you? Our plans here?"

"Don't be insane, my dear." Zin smiled at her, shaking his head and absently giving her throat an affectionate squeeze. "She's not ready yet."

Lana sighed and shook her head. "Just remember your position, Zin. Do not let sentiment blind you to necessity."

"I wouldn't dream of it, my dear," Zin assured her with a smile.

***

"So what's the hurry?" Vic asked as Daggon entered the room.

"Hurry?"

"Why so eager to get out of here?" Vic elaborated.

Daggon regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, then approached him. His gut told him that he could trust this alien lawman. "Must find Rhee."

"Rhee?" Vic repeated.

"Rhee take life," he explained.

"Rhee… kills people?"

"Kills people." Daggon nodded. "Must find Rhee."

"Maybe you should leave that to the cops?" Vic suggested gently.

"Cop?" he repeated blankly. 

"Cops, police officers. Law enforcement agents."

Daggon nodded and pointed to himself. "_Am_ cop."

Vic sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, sure you are, buddy." He turned to leave.

Daggon stepped around him, blocking his progress. "Am cop," he repeated firmly. "_Must_ find Rhee."

Vic took a startled step backwards. "Hey, just calm down," he advised gently, raising his hand. 

Daggon took the opportunity provided. He grabbed Vic's hand and held it firmly in both of his, searching the human's eyes with his own. "Must find Rhee," he told Vic gently, dropping his eyes to the hand held in both of his and releasing energy.

Vic looked down, frowning. His eyes widened and he tried to pull away when he saw the light spilling out from under the other man's hands. Daggon tightened his grip and shook his head, continuing the transfer of energy. Vic swallowed hard, his mind flooded with a thousand images, emotions, and ideas, nearly flooring the Detective. 

Fear, confusion, pain, _loss_, determination… a thought in a voice not his own, ricocheting around his brain.

**__**

"You have to help me. I need your help. Rhee is not like any criminal your planet has ever seen before."

His mind was assaulted by a horrifying image, all the more horrifying because it felt like he was actually there, witnessing it.

__

A creature, not human, violently attacking a child, also not human, though undeniably of a different species than her attacker. She was a delicate, beautiful creature, an entity of pure light, screaming and struggling and crying out for her father as her attacker first brutalized her and then took the life from her.

And then that voice in his mind again.

**__**

"I have to stop him before he can do this again. You must help me…"

Another vision.

__

A man, of the same species as the child, kneeling over her corpse, keening. Another body, an adult of the same species, laying close by.

The voice in his mind, Daggon's voice, he realized.

**__**

"No one else should have to suffer this loss… He can not be allowed to kill again."

And an awareness, a certainty, that the man from this vision was the same man now standing before Vic.

"Shit," he whispered when Daggon finally released his hand, looking exhausted. 

***

"You want me to release him into your custody, Vic?" Jenny asked, blinking.

Vic nodded firmly. "Yeah. You told me yourself that he's harmless."

"Vic!" she protested. "Come on. That's _not_ how we work. Besides, he doesn't even have a name!" she protested.

"So sign him out as John Doe," Vic suggested.

"Not Doe. Daggon."

"John Daggon," Vic amended, shrugging. 

"I'll release him on one condition," she announced.

"Great. What?"

"You tell me what's going on."

"He's a material witness in a serial homicide case," Vic told her, shrugging. "And he's a cop."

Jenny glanced from Vic to Daggon with wide eyes. "I'll get the paperwork." 

As she scuttled off, Vic looked at Daggon. "If anyone asks, your name is John."

"Name is Daggon," he protested, frowning.

"John Daggon. Trust me, it'll make it easier for you to blend in."

He nodded and dutifully repeated, "John Daggon. Find Rhee now?"

"Just as soon as you sign on the dotted line," Vic assured him.

"Dotted line?" he repeated, frowning. "Sign?"

"It is going to be a _very_ long day," Vic sighed to himself.

***

Mel and Jess were chatting about Jess' new favorite subject, one Doctor Julius Zin, when the door of the bar opened and Lana strode in. She looked around the empty bar for a moment before making a bee-line towards Mel and Jess. 

"Ladies," she greeted them, politely inclining her head.

"Lana, hello," Mel greeted her.

"Hi, Lana!" Jess said cheerfully. "Where's Julius?"

"Doctor Zin is… meeting someone," Lana told her. 

"Short one human shadow," Jess observed.

Lana allowed herself a faint smile at the young Englishwoman's words. "My duties call me elsewhere this afternoon. I merely--" She trailed off as her phone rang. She pulled it out and held it to her ear. "This is Doctor Lana."

"Your problem has been… taken care of."

"Complications?"

"None, ma'am."

"Dead, then?"

"He is. We made sure there were no other suitable host bodies in range and waited for his life-force to expire, exactly as you directed."

"I see. Good day." Lana snapped the phone shut and looked up at Mel and Jess.

"Dead?" Mel repeated.

"Our computer network. Completely dead. Most regrettable." She shook her head dismissively. "Nothing that can't be replaced," she added, reaching into her suit pocket and pulling out a notebook. "Doctor Zin has enjoined me to come here, Miss Porter, engage you in 'small-talk', and thereby find out a number of your tastes and preferences." She held up a list. "Care to save us both a bit of time?"

Mel chuckled and shook her head, taking the list from Lana. "Favorite flowers, favorite type of food, favorite movie…" She laughed and shook her head, reading through the list. Likes, dislikes, political beliefs… "He always do this with women he dates?"

Lana pursed her lips, shaking her head. "This is a _new_ behavior. I am not yet sure what to make of it."

"Saves him time over all that pesky small-talk," Jess noted with a smile.

"Your favorite flowers?" Lana asked Mel, ignoring Jess' comment.

"Daffodils…" Mel frowned. "_Why_ did he send you to find out all this stuff?"

"Because you interest him and he wishes to continue your acquaintance. Presumably he thinks a favorable first impression on your date would be a good start." 

"I… see," Mel murmured, not sure she did.

"Courtship is not something he's accustomed to," Lana explained simply, shrugging. "He does try. Too hard at times."

"Hey, if the worst a guy can be accused of in a relationship is trying _too_ hard," Jess remarked with a shrug. "A girl could do a _lot_ worse, Mel…"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jess. I think we've established that you approve of my having a relationship with Julius."

"Hey, he's handsome, polite, sophisticated, educated…"

"Rich," Lana added quietly, earning herself an approving grin and a nod from Jess. 

Mel shook her head. "Why do I feel like I've been outvoted here?"

"Oh, come on, Mel!" Jess chuckled. "You _know_ you like the guy!"

Mel shrugged and shook her head. Jess _was_ persistent, that was for sure.

"Just give him a chance," Jess told Mel, grinning. "You don't like him and I'll leave you alone." Her smile widened. "And start dating him myself."

Lana allowed herself a faint smile, approving the girl's ambition. "I will inform Doctor Zin," she told Jess quietly.

Jess laughed and smiled at Lana. "So why aren't _you_ dating him?"

"Quite aside from him being old enough to be my father?" Lana asked honestly, shrugging. "I don't believe he's ever seen me in quite that light." Her expression was philosophical. "I make a better personal assistant than wife."

"Not really the Martha Stewart type, then?" Jess asked, grinning.

"Well, inasmuch as she is… antisocial, unprincipled, and completely profit-oriented I'm actually _very_ much like her," Lana assured Jess with another half-smile. She fixed her gaze on Mel. "Shall we finish going over this list now?" she asked cheerfully.

***

"Rhee killed her?" Vic asked, staring down at the dead hooker.

Daggon shook his head, frowning. "Rhee not use…" He pointed to Vic's gun, shaking his head. "Weapon."

"Gun, it's a gun."

"Gun," he repeated dutifully. In spite of the fact that this person had obviously been stabbed, there was a bullet-wound as well. "Rhee not use gun, not use knife. Use… hands. Like using hands."

"But Rhee _was_ here?" Vic asked.

Daggon nodded, running his hands over the body. He stopped abruptly, frowning.

"See, I'm just confused," Vic told him, shaking his head and looking around the field as Daggon made his examination of the body. "We have the dead woman in the car who you said Rhee _did_ kill and we have this unrelated victim--"

"Not unrelated," Daggon corrected him quietly, shaking his head and rising, his expression troubled. "_Is_ Rhee." 

  
"Whoa! DB number two is _Rhee_?" Vic asked, gaping. That made no sense. "Are you sure?"

Daggon nodded. There could be no mistaking that life-force, even recently dead. "Rhee kill woman. Someone else kill Rhee…"

  
"But who? And _why_?"

  
"Not know." 

He glanced at the body again, then around the field, shaking his head. The wounds were familiar, undeniably so. Two deep knife wounds to the chest. No human had managed to kill Rhee in this manner, though. Whoever had done it _knew_ Vardian physiology. An accomplice would have held the Vardian's arms as the blows were delivered to exactly the right spots, preventing him from fighting back or even defending himself. A Vardian would have been killed instantly by either of the knife-wounds. In a non-Vardian host with a differently arranged circulatory system, Rhee had probably suffered for some time before a bullet to the back of his head ended things. 

It was a professional kill, he decided, by a trained team. The knife-wounds _would_ have killed Rhee eventually, but the shot to the head had been cleaner. It was an honor-killing, contracted by a Vardian, and carried out by Vardians against another Vardian. The victim was supposed to see his killer, to _understand_ why he was dying. But he was _not_ supposed to suffer. When it had been clear that he _was_, his assassins would have given him mercy. It was their way.

"Vardians kill," he announced finally, rising and dusting off his hands. It was a fact that raised more questions than it answered. Rhee had obviously angered _someone_, but who? And how?

"Vardians?" Vic repeated. "Aliens like Rhee? How… how many more of you guys are there on this planet?"

"Not many. Should not be many." He shook his head in confusion, closing his eyes and casting out with his mind. His eyes shot open and he looked skyward, whispering, "_No…_"

"What?" Vic asked, staring in the direction that Daggon was looking. He frowned at the swirling red vortex of clouds that the alien was looking at. "What the hell is that?"

"Wormhole," came the grim response.

It was not the wormhole that had drawn his attention, though, but the energy he could feel emanating from it as dozens of life-forces poured through, not a single one of them in-tact. Prisoners, more escapees from Sar-Top. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of them. He let out a shout of frustration, kicking the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

****

Chapter 4 

"How do I look?" Mel asked nervously, staring at herself in the full-length mirror in her room.

"Gorgeous, Mel," Jess assured her, grinning. Mel really did look wonderful in her red gown. Julius would not be able to resist her. "Where's he taking you?"

"Dinner, then some art museum," Mel told her with a shrug. 

"What'd you talk about on the phone?"

"He told me that you're still more than welcome to come along as a chaperone," Mel laughed, shaking her head. 

"What'd be the fun of having a chaperone along?" Jess scoffed, shaking her head. 

Mel grinned and shook her head at her friend. "So, what have you got planned for tonight? Clubbing again?" At Jess' nod, Mel shook her head. "I'll get some more aspirin when I go shopping tomorrow," she muttered.

Jess rolled her eyes, ignoring the jibe. She was _not_ going to back to some stupid club where the only attraction was some stupid drug and that was that. _Especially_ not one as creepy as Club 805.

"You think the others will be able to handle things without us?" Mel asked Jess.

Jess nodded. "Why you think I mentioned Wednesday. Slow night if ever there was one."

Mel grinned and nodded. "Okay, let's go. Do I look okay?"

"For the tenth time, Mel, _yes_," Jess laughed, shaking her head. "Come on! You want to keep Julius waiting? He's probably already down there…" Grabbing her arm, Jess hauled Mel out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Zin was indeed already there, enjoying a drink while leafing through the Wall Street Journal. A vase full of daffodils sat next to him. He looked up as Mel and Jess entered the barroom, rising and moving to meet them. 

"Ladies!" he greeted them. "Melanie." With a faint smile, he took her hand in his own and raised it to his mouth, kissing it lightly. "You look _lovely_ this evening," he told her with obvious approval. "Red is definitely your color. Your good advice, I suppose, Miss Brown?" he added, turning to face Jess and bowing at the waist.

Jess regarded him wordlessly for a moment, eyes wide, before grinning at him. "You always this much of a charmer?"

"Well, I suppose I have my moments," he allowed, winking at the girl. "So, will you be joining us this evening?"

Jess sniggered and shook her head. "It's like I told Mel. Where's the fun of a date if you're lugging along a chaperone?"

"Mmm, you could have something there," Zin agreed with a smile. "Other plans?" 

Jess nodded easily. "Clubbing with friends, Doctor Zin."

"Julius, Miss Brown," he corrected her. "I insist."

"Julius," Jess agreed, grinning at him. "And you can just stop this 'Miss Brown' nonsense and call me Jess."

He inclined his head in agreement. "I got you flowers," he told Mel, nodding towards the vase. "Something told me that you were a daffodil person," he added, smiling.

"That 'something' wouldn't happen to carry a PDA, be dressed in an Italian suit, and named Lana, would it?" Mel asked with a smile.

Zin laughed and shook his head. "Found out!"

Mel grinned. "They are beautiful, though, Julius."

"I'm glad you approve," he said, offering Mel his arm. "Shall we?"

"You two have fun," Jess told them as Mel accepted his arm, looking surprised by his chivalry. After that kiss on the hand earlier, Jess was surprised that Mel hadn't seen it coming. Ten to one he got the door for her, too.

"You have fun as well, Jess," Zin told her.

"Yeah, Jess. Have fun. See you tomorrow."

Jess smiled as she watched them go. As she had guessed he would, Zin got the door for Mel. Jess scurried to the window and watched him open the door of a _limo_ and help her in. Oh, yeah. Mel had definitely found herself a keeper.

***

"Julius, I'm impressed," Mel whispered after they had been seated. "This is supposed to be like the hardest restaurant in town to get in to."

"Third hardest," he corrected her absently, perusing the menu. "The other two were full."

Mel stared at him with wide eyes.

Zin slowly peered up at her over the menu. "Something wrong?" 

She shook her head faintly. "You are just _not_ like any guy I've ever been out with before."

"Is this a bad thing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't… no." Mel shook her head. "It's just that normally I would have a guy pretty much figured out by now. _You_ I'm having trouble with."

"And with me sending Lana to find out all about you, you're at a disadvantage." He nodded faintly. "Information _is_ power, you're right. What would you like to know about me?"

"Well, um… what kind of doctor are you?" 

"Physicist."

"Oh." Mel nodded, impressed. "That must have taken a lot of school."

He gave a noncommittal shrug. "No more than any other doctoral degree," he pointed out, looking up as the waiter returned with their drinks. "Thank you. We'll still be a few more minutes before we're ready to order."

"Yes, sir." The waiter nodded and left.

"So, do you do, like, research?" Mel asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "Not any more. My theories… earned me some ridicule in the scientific community." His smile faded slightly. "I'm in Real Estate now."

"Real Estate?" Mel repeated, frowning slightly. It seemed like quite a switch from physics.

Zin smiled and sipped his scotch. "With an eye towards the archeological significance of my acquisitions," he explained. "It's always been a hobby of mine, and it brings in better money than physics."

"So, what, you like… sell artifacts?" Mel asked.

"The ones we don't keep for… sentimental reasons." He smiled at her. "Some of the things we recover are quite valuable, though." He shrugged absently. 

Mel nodded faintly. "So, you from around here?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm from a country whose name would probably mean absolutely nothing to you."

"What, one of those little Eastern European places?"

"Something like that." Close enough, at least. "Lovely place to live, wouldn't want to visit."

"Um, don't you mean…"

"No, I don't." He gave a short shake of the head. "Anything on that menu look good to you?"

***

"Walking on the beach was a wonderful idea, Melanie," Zin informed her quietly as they strolled along the moonlit stretch of sand.

She smiled over at him. "One of the advantages of living by the lake. The view is gorgeous, especially at night."

  
"Yes," he agreed. "I think I'm going to enjoy living in Chicago." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "The scenery is definitely something to write home about."

Mel stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'm being blunt again, aren't I?" he asked with a wide smile, turning to face her.

Mel nodded slowly. "Just a little."

"Well, I'm sorry." He shrugged helplessly. "But you really _are_ quite lovely." When she dropped her head, he gently caught her face in his hands and forced it up, rubbing his thumbs lightly over her lips. "Obviously not something you're told often enough, but no less true as a result. Look at me, Melanie," he ordered.

"Julius," she began nervously, shaking her head.

"_Hush…_ You _are_ beautiful. I find you _very_ beautiful."

Mel blinked and shifted slightly. _Definitely_ not like any guy she had ever dated before. "Uh…"

"You don't have to be afraid," he whispered.

Mel closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm _not_ afraid, Julius," she muttered. 

Zin nodded sharply. "Good." 

He had been afraid that he had overstepped himself. It was a constant risk when your complete knowledge of a species came from a legion of anthropologists rather than a human host. Sometimes the increased flexibility of _not_ taking a human host was overshadowed by the inconvenience of not knowing what to do or say in a specific situation. Still, that was what Lana was for. She may not have been exactly _happy_ to get him information on human mating and pre-mating behaviors, but she had also known that it was pointless to argue. As long as he did not allow Mel to distract him from his goal, she would allow him his fun.

She had returned to him a few hours after he had made his request with a full report. Rule one was that many members of the species did not consider it good form to initiate a mating on first dates. _Kissing_, the report had explained, was generally considered perfectly acceptable. _And _it had the added advantage of telling a man exactly how receptive a woman was to engaging in mating behavior later on. Lana had thoughtfully included several pages in her report describing the process and different types of kisses, along with an intimacy gradient for them.

Zin decided to start with something simple and not dreadfully intimate, so he kept his mouth closed and tenderly brushed his lips across hers before pulling away. He immediately understood what humans saw in the seemingly pointless behavior. It felt _good_.

Mel stared up at him with wide eyes, giving a nervous chuckle. 

"What?" he asked, smiling faintly at her obvious surprise and uncertainty.

"Oh, Julius… with that lead-up, I was expecting… well, not that."

"I see." His smile widened. Receptive, definitely receptive. "Well, we can leave it at that if you'd like, or I can try again if you prefer?" he offered, knowing from Lana's report that human females liked to be given a choice where possible.

Mel gave another nervous laugh, not quite sure how else to react. The man had been coming on to her all night, compliment her appearance, manners, the way she carried herself, everything about her. He also seemed perfectly willing to leave things at that one friendly kiss. It was incongruous, completely out of her experience. 

"I don't think one more kiss could hurt anything," Mel decided.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he replied cheerfully, pulling her against him.

Oh, yeah. Definitely not like any man she had ever dated before. She was a little startled by the intensity of the second kiss, in complete contrast to the first one, but quickly decided that it did not really matter. Obviously he had not wanted to make her uncomfortable with the first kiss. Having received her permission to kiss her again, he clearly no longer considered himself under the same sort of restrictions.

She barely had time to register surprise over the fact that he seemed to be _growling_ during the kiss when he did something that took her completely off-balance. His hand shot up and wrapped firmly around her throat, not hard enough to cut off the air-supply, but definitely enough to make itself known. What really horrified Mel, though, was the awareness that she was actually _enjoying_ it on some level. For some reason, having this man she had just met squeeze her throat was a turn-on. That scared her a hell of a lot more than his actions.

"Julius!" she gasped, pulling away and staring at him with wide eyes. "What the hell?" she whispered, one hand shooting up to her own throat, half defensive, half confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he murmured, as startled by what he had done as she was. It had been a very Vardian reaction to a very human form of stimulation. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" he asked, reaching up and running his hands over her throat, feeling for damage. His eyes widened as hers drifted shut. It was the last reaction he had expected. Curious, he continued stroking her throat. "I'm sorry, Melanie. I have no idea why I did that…"

"Just don't let it happen again," she breathed. "I like _this_ a _lot _better."

"So I see." Zin smiled, bemused. "It won't happen again," he promised, still stroking. 

His expression became increasingly curious as she submitted to this for several minutes, leaning a little closer to him with every pass of his hands. He had seen this response before, but _not_ from any human woman. He leaned in for another kiss and Mel made no protest until his hands stilled in their progress over her throat, then she let out a soft sigh, almost a whimper.

Zin broke off the kiss, but resumed his attentions to her throat. His expression went from curious to bemused. "Should I take you home now?" he offered.

"Oh, I could stay here all night," Mel assured him, not opening her eyes.

"So could I, but we _both_ have work in the morning. We could go out again on Friday?" he offered.

"Sounds good."

"Wonderful. I'll pick you up around seven?"

"Okay."

He reluctantly withdrew his hand from her throat. "We should go now."

Mel opened her eyes and nodded regretfully. "Yeah. Guess so. But you _will_ pick me up on Friday?"

"Of course." Zin smiled and nodded. "Melanie, you have done something that no woman has managed in a long time. _You_ have thoroughly intrigued me…" 

***

"How'd your date go?" Lana asked lightly, entering Zin's office in response to his summons.

"I don't think she's human," he informed her, gesturing for her to sit.

"That… has the potential to complicate things. What _is_ she?"

"Cirronian, I think."

Lana's expression turned cautious. "Based on?"

"The fact that her throat is an erogenous zone and she likes having it pet more than she likes having it squeezed."

Lana nodded faintly. "You think it's the Tracker?"

"No. Her life-force has a feminine feel about it."

Lana considered. Zin's little project had either yielded up a huge liability or a valuable tool. They would have to proceed carefully. "How shall I proceed?"

"Get a genetic screen run. And figure out how a Cirronian ends up on Earth." 

She rose. "I'm on it." Sweeping from his office, she went to her own and picked up her phone, telekinetically pouring herself a drink as she spoke. "This is Lana. I need every available piece of information on a human named Melanie Irene Porter as soon as possible. Don't worry about what's important. You let me decide that."

She sat down at her computer and waited for information to start coming in. The results pleased her greatly. Mel Porter had an appointment to donate blood in the morning and _Lana_ had an operative working for the Red Cross.

***

"_One quarter_ Cirronian," Lana informed Zin the next morning, dropping the information on his desk. "By her paternal grandfather."

"That was quick."

"I'm always quick," Lana told him. "Her grandfather did not exist before he married her grandmother. We're still working on trying to ascertain exactly what he was doing on Earth. How shall I proceed?"

"Can someone who is one quarter Cirronian be expected to have full use of her Cirronian powers?"

"With training, she would, theoretically, be able to make use of at least the more rudimentary ones."

"We have a Cirronian in our employ? Other than the traitor Lontoria?"

"We do." Lana nodded sharply, searching her mind for a moment before providing, "Reta, sir, an embezzler."

"Take him off whatever he's working on," Zin directed. "His exclusive duty will now be the training of Miss Porter." He rose. "Get me my car. I need to speak with her."


	5. Chapter 5

****

Chapter 5

Zin walked in to the bar and was surprised to see Jess talking to a uniformed police officer. Mel was standing nearby talking to a Detective in a suit. When she saw him, she muttered something to the Detective before moving to join Zin.

"Julius, hi. I didn't expect to see you today."

"Well, I needed to talk to you. Is Jess okay? Did something happen?"

Mel nodded faintly. "One of her friends ODed on some new drug."

Zin frowned. "Surely Jess isn't into drugs?"

"Oh, no." Mel shook her head. "Jess knows better. Tried to talk her friend out of it, I guess. Didn't work."

"Will her friend be okay?"

"The doctors say so, but it'll take time. Apparently this stuff _has_ killed a few people already. But it's brand new…" She shrugged. "Vic says the cops have never seen anything like it. You put it in your eyes, I guess."

"Your _eyes_?" Zin repeated, frowning.

She nodded. "That's what Jess says. Some kind of green eye-drops." 

His frown deepened. "Horrible. How is Jess holding up?"

"She's upset," Mel told him, shrugging. 

"I can imagine."

Both looked up as Jess approached. "Mel, I'm going to go down to the station, give them a description…"

"Okay, Jess." Mel nodded and gave her a faint smile.

"Don't worry, Jess," Zin added. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Doctor--"

"Julius," he corrected her gently. "You hang in there, Jessica."

She nodded faintly. "Yeah, Julius. I will. Thanks."

Zin gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as the uniformed officer ushered her off. The Detective was regarding him thoughtfully. 

"Detective," Zin greeted him.

"So, you're Julius?" Vic asked quietly. He had been hoping that Jess had exaggerated how charming, attractive, and rich Mel's new guy was. Obviously she had not, though.

Zin nodded politely. "Yes, and you are?"

"Vic Bruno, robbery/homicide." 

"I see." Zin extended his hand. "A pleasure."

"Yeah." Vic gave his hand a brief squeeze and walked off, not looking at Mel or Zin.

"We used to date," Mel explained quietly when Vic had left.

"Ah. I understand." Zin gave her a gentle smile.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, but not here. Will you come to my office?" 

She frowned faintly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Not at all." He gave her a reassuring smile. "But we _must_ talk. I've… discovered something that you should know."

"Why can't you tell me here?"

"I just can't. But I guarantee that you _will_ want to hear what I have to tell you."

"Why?" she whispered, startled by his tense tone. "What's going on, Julius?"

"Something big. Will you come with me to my office?"

She hesitated for a few moments before nodding. "Let me grab my purse."

He nodded and pulled out his phone as he went to retrieve it. Dialing quickly, he said, "I'm en route back to my office. I need to talk to Doctor Lana _immediately_. Have her there by the time I arrive."

"It will be done, sir."

"Good." He clicked off the phone and tucked it into his pocket as Mel returned with her purse. "Shall we, then?"

"Yeah. But what's going on?" she persisted, following him out to his car.

He held the door for her. "Something best discussed in private."

Mel spent the car-ride in uncomfortable silence, wondering what was going on and why Zin so badly wanted to talk to her about it. And why he refused to talk about it until they reached his office. Part of her remembered the way he had grabbed her throat and worried for her safety. The rest remembered how wonderful his subsequent touches had felt and had trouble believing that he would _ever_ harm her.

Lana joined them in the foyer of the large office building and wordlessly fell into step behind Zin, her expression unreadable as always. Zin was politely acknowledged by everyone they passed, though very few spared Lana or Mel a second glance. An elevator ride spent in silence, and they emerged into a large reception area. 

  
"Doctors," the receptionist greeted them, rising.

Zin nodded an absent acknowledgement to him. "See Miss Porter into my office and get her a drink. I'll be in shortly, Melanie."

"Um, okay, Julius." Mel nodded and followed the man.

Zin turned to face Lana. "I am _not_ a happy man right now, dear."

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," she told him, her tone teasing.

Zin grabbed Lana by the throat, pushing her into a wall and squeezing hard enough that bruises began forming immediately. 

"_Kaden is distributing Fek-Maln to humans!_" he snarled. "Get him up here," he added in a normal tone of voice.

"Yes, Doctor Zin." Lana reached up and slowly removed his hand from her throat. "Just as soon as I change into a turtle-neck," she added with a faint smile, gingerly rubbing her newly acquired set of bruises. She loved it when he got forceful and was of the opinion that he was wasted on the mongrel currently waiting in his office. "Wouldn't want people to see these and get the wrong idea about us." She smiled.

Zin sighed and shook his head. "Go," he muttered, waving her off. "And get that dammed Cirronian up here!" he shouted after her retreating form. 

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, composing himself. Squaring his shoulders, he went to talk to Mel, smile firmly in place. He had decided that telling her about aliens was probably not the best way to proceed. He did not want to scare her, after all. There was no need for her to know about them; she could learn how to utilize her abilities anyway. And be of great service to them. Of all of the Migar species, a Cirronian. No wonder she had seemed so familiar to him initially… 

"Ah, Melanie!" Zin greeted her cheerfully as he entered the office. There was a decanter on the desk and an empty glass. Mel held its partner in her hand. "Sorry for the delay, but some other business came up that simply _had_ to be dealt with immediately."

"I understand. Running a business this size must demand a lot of time."

He shrugged and sat down behind his desk. "Less when you have reliable lieutenants. Now, to the business at hand."

"What _is_ the 'business at hand'?" Mel asked, curious. 

"_You_ are the business at hand," Zin informed her seriously. "Melanie, the first time I met you, I was intrigued. You _must_ realize that?"

"Well, I mean, yeah. Obviously you were interested or you never would have asked me out." Mel nodded slowly, wondering what his point was.

"There was something about you. I couldn't place it at the time. You gave blood this morning…"

Mel frowned. "How did you know that?"

"Lana has people working at the Red Cross. They took an extra vial of blood, said it was for a routine screening."

Mel paused to consider, her frown deepening. "Julius?"

"We ran some genetic tests on them to confirm something I had begun to suspect of you."

She rose, angry. "Okay, that is just a _huge_ invasion of my privacy and probably as illegal as hell, Julius!"

"Yes. On both counts. But that does not change the fact that _you_, Melanie Porter, are a _very_ special woman. Sit," he directed gently, pointing to the chair she had just vacated. "You need to understand something."

Mel sat down, but she was _not_ happy with him, and her expression broadcast that loud and clear. 

"There are several hundred individuals on this planet who possess a number of unique abilities. You have the potential to become one of them with training."

"I beg your pardon?" Mel asked blankly. 

"Genetic… variance in these individuals leads to abilities that are not considered possible in humans. Telepathy, telekinesis, the ability to hide in plain sight. The ability to heal with a touch."

"Uh… _right_." Mel stared at him. Charming, intelligent, rich… She was ready to add 'stark-raving mad' to the litany. 

"Is that scotch or brandy?" Zin asked, gesturing idly to the decanter.

"Brandy." Mel frowned at the abrupt shift in the conversation.

"Shame." He shrugged. "Ah, well. Suppose it'll have to do." Another idle gesture and the decanter tipped itself to fill the empty glass. The glass slid across the desk to Zin as the decanter righted itself. Zin let the glass come into his hand and took a long sip before smiling benignly at the woman gaping at him. "Still dubious?" he asked lightly, his eyes twinkling.

Mel's mouth moved wordlessly for several minutes before she gave up and just shook her head. It was unbelievable, but she had _seen_ it. Zin sipped his drink in silence, allowing her to adjust to what she had just witnessed. The next move was hers.

"You're telling me that I can learn to do that?" Mel whispered finally. "Like you just did?"

He shook his head. "No. Your potential lies in another direction. Healing, the manipulation of matter and energy, things of this nature."

"And I can actually… _learn_ how to do those things?"

He nodded. "I can even arrange a demonstration. I've a man of similar talents in my employ. He's at your disposal if you wish to learn what he can teach you."

Mel let out a short breath, nodding. "Julius, I don't know how to thank you…"

He smiled widely. "You _will_ find a way, Melanie, I'm quite sure…"

***

Vic looked up from Jess' discussion with the sketch-artist as someone else joined them in the room. Giving the girl's shoulder a gentle squeeze, he approached the newcomer. 

"Daggon?" he whispered, taking the man's arm and steering him from the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Is… police station. Where else to learn of crime? They are here, Vic. They _will_ commit crime. You can help me learn of this."

Vic closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Buddy, I can't--"

"Who is female?" he asked, pointing. "You know her."

"Through a mutual friend, yeah."

"She is upset."

"Yeah." 

"Why?"

Vic rolled his eyes, wondering if Daggon was _always_ this full of questions. He was like a three year old. "Her friend is in the hospital. Took some weird drug, not like anything we've seen before."

"What is?" Daggon asked. "Drug?"

"Drug, a mind-altering chemical. In this case, it's these green eye-drops."

"Eye-drops?" He pointed to his eye, just to be sure.

"Yeah. Why?"

"May not be human. May be Fek-Maln. Where did she get this?"

Vic considered for all of five seconds. There were enough drugs on the streets without throwing an alien one into the mix. "I'll draw you a map."

"Thank you." Daggon smiled and patiently waited as Vic sketched out a map. Neither of them paid any attention to the janitor working nearby.

***

"Which makes it very important that we not tell anyone about these abilities of ours," Zin was explaining to Mel. "People wouldn't understand, they'd be scared, Melanie. You _can't_ tell anyone about this, okay? It would put us in a lot of danger."

Mel nodded. "Of course, Julius. You're right…"

"Zin!" Lana gasped, bursting into the office.

"_What?_" Zin demanded. "Lana, I am in the middle of something _very_ important here. Kaden can wait!"

Mel looked up at the girl, frowning at the livid bruises on her throat. "Christ, sweetie! What happened?" she asked, rising and going to Lana. "Who did this to you?"

Lana shook her head. "Not important," she assured Mel. "Zin, we need to talk." At the look on his face, she added, "_It can't wait!_" 

Zin rose and walked to his clearly distressed protégé. "What has happened?" he asked gently, touching his fingers to her cheek. He looked up at Mel. "Wait here. I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her, taking Lana's arm and steering her from the room. "Lana, what has happened?" he asked gently.

"Daggon _is_ on Earth," she whispered, rubbing the back of her neck. "He seems to have allied himself with a human police-officer."

Zin closed his eyes and let out a frustrated growl. 

"He's on his way to Club 805's last location," Lana added. "He knows that Kaden is giving Fek-Maln to humans."

"Saves us having to kill him for it," Zin observed.

"Not funny, sir. Shall I warn him?"

"See how he reacts to our directive to stop distributing to humans. If he seems willing to cooperate, then warn him, by all means."

"There's a human at the police station, giving a description of Kaden."

"I know. It's Jess Brown."

"Miss Porter's friend?" Lana sighed and looked up at him. "How shall I proceed?" 

"Both women are under my protection. Kaden made this bed. Let him lie in it."

Lana stared up at him. So much for professional detachment. "If you're sure, Doctor Zin…"

"I am. And have those bruises healed. They do _not_ compliment your complexion."

"Yes, Doctor Zin." Lana turned on her heel only to be restrained by the older Vardian. "Yes, Doctor Zin?"

"Better still, have Reta brought up here _now_. I want Melanie to see him heal you."

Lana nodded and pulled out her cell-phone, dialing and quickly barking an order to that effect into the phone before hanging up again.

"How is she taking it, sir?" she asked.

"Quite well, all told." He smiled. "I would have to say that we've managed to secure her gratitude. Her loyalty should follow in fairly short order."


	6. Chapter 6

****

Chapter 6

"Um, Daggon, pal, this may sound like a silly question, but… what happened to my microwave?" Vic asked, leaning into his guestroom. 

Daggon pointed absently to the gutted microwave before returning his attention to the screen of the computer that he had also appropriated from Vic. Vic decided not to ask. His eyes widened as they took in the contents of the plate sitting next to the computer. A pen, broken in half and dripping green goop.

"Where did you get that?" Vic demanded. 

"Club place. Was empty, Vic, but found this."

"Yeah, I know it's empty. It moves every night, like a Rave."

"Rave?"

"Party with loud music and lots of drugs. Is it that… stuff you were talking about?"

"Fek-Maln. Yes, Vic, is very similar. On Sar-Top… relaxes prisoners."

"It's a tranquilizer?" he asked. 

"Yes, Vic."

Vic shook his head. "Jess said that whatever it was was acting more like a stimulant on her friend."

"Human blood is different. Make very sick after few times."

"Can you find the lab where it's being made?"

"Yes, Vic." Daggon smiled brightly. "Fek-Maln starts as powder. Some going into air. Can be measured." He pointed to the computer screen which currently displayed a map of the city. "Lab is here."

Vic nodded. "I'll call the station."

Daggon shook his head and caught the human's arm, restraining him. "No, Vic."

"No?" Vic repeated, frowning.

"My job… to return fugitives to Sar-Top, Vic."

"Yeah, but I'm a cop and it's _my_ job to arrest criminals here on Earth."

"Criminals_ will_ go to prison. What else matters?" he asked reasonably.

Vic sighed and closed his eyes, more than aware that he was toeing more than one ethical line. "You promise? Your job is to send them back to prison? You aren't going to… vaporize them or anything?"

"Vaporize?" he repeated, frowning.

"Yeah, you know… _zap_ them?"

Daggon's eyes widened. "Zap?"

Vic rolled his eyes. "Kill using strange alien weaponry?" he clarified.

Daggon shook his head firmly. "Not take life. _Told_ you. Take prisoner life-force from body, return prisoner to Sar-Top." Slow learners, these humans. He shook his head and picked up his Collector, tucking it into his jean pocket. "Let Daggon handle, Vic."

"You'll need backup," Vic pointed out, following him from the guestroom. 

"_No,_" Daggon said firmly, shaking his head. He turned and placed a restraining hand on Vic's shoulder. "Dangerous. _Not_ human criminals. You let Daggon handle." He gave Vic's shoulder a paternal pat and walked off.

Now he was being condescended to by the Rain Man? Vic stared after him for a moment, then shrugged and dropped on to the couch. None of his damned business at this point. If Daggon had not returned in a few hours, then he would take a car out and see what was going on. If the lab really _was_ there, he would proceed accordingly. Shaking his head, he turned on the TV, smiling when he remembered that the Sci-Fi Channel was having a Twilight Zone marathon. 

His smile slipped slightly as it occurred to him that he had been traipsing through the Zone himself for the past few days, but he soon became too deeply absorbed in the show to really mind. He really did need some cheap escapism after the few days he had been having. Alien spree killers, alien cops, alien drug lords, the woman he loved dating again… Well, at least _Mel_ was not an alien, too, he thought with a short laugh. 

***

Mel stared after Lana and Reta with wide eyes as they left, Lana's throat now devoid of bruises. "You're telling me that I can learn to do that, too?"

"Mmm hmm." Zin nodded faintly. "What do you think?"

"I think… this is unbelievable, Julius!" she laughed, shaking her head. "It _can't_ be real."

  
"Why ever not?" Zin asked smoothly. "Think about it, Melanie. You've always felt just one beat out of step, haven't you, like you don't quite belong in normal society, like you're _different_."

"Oh, I think everyone must feel those things at some time," she protested, shaking her head and pouring herself another drink.

  
"Ah, but with a difference," Zin said, rising and circling the desk. He sat on the edge of his desk, taking the drink from her hands. "You truly _are_ different, Melanie. You have so much potential," he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. "I can help you unlock it," he added, cradling her face in his hands and never once raising his voice above that whisper.

"Julius…"

"I can give you the _world_, Melanie. As a start," he added honestly. He extended his hands to her, palms up. "I don't ask for much in return, just that you have faith in me."

"Faith?" she repeated, her voice wavering.

"Faith," he agreed, proffering his hands again. "Have the faith to walk with me down the path I'm set on."

Mel swallowed dryly and nodded, hesitantly lifting her hands. "What path?" she asked quietly, her hands hovering between them.

"I'm not an ambitious man. All I want is to change the world." He smiled and asked, "Not so much to ask, is it?"

"No, I guess not." Mel smiled and slipped her hands into his.

"You won't regret it."

Mel smiled and nodded. "When do we start?"

"Right away."

***

"Where is he, Vax?" the young woman asked in a quiet voice.

"Inside." Vax inclined his head politely to the Dessarian, ushering her into the club. "This way, Doctor Aeko."

"I'll need more Fek-Maln before I go," Aeko added as they moved through the club. 

"Already?" Vax asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have a problem with that?" she asked, pausing and glaring up at him.

"Not at all, ma'am," he assured her. "Kaden, Doctor Aeko is here to see you."

Kaden regarded Lana's Dessarian liaison with a bored expression. "What?"

"I have an order from Doctor Zin."

"Have you?" Kaden asked, rolling his eyes. Obviously she did or she would not have been there.

"Fek-Maln is dangerous to humans. In the future you will restrict its sale to our kind or you will no longer be able to consider yourself in the Doctor's good graces." Aeko spun on her heel and stalked off, pausing only long enough to accept a small parcel from Vax.

"If she weren't one of our best customers," Kaden grumbled. 

"What amazes me is that she can consume that much Fek-Maln and still be so edgy," Vax scoffed.

"Yes, well, you should see me without it." Aeko leaned back into the club. "By the way, Kaden, the human authorities know what you look like," she drawled.

"_What?_" he demanded, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, and I'm given to understand that there's a Tracker on Earth as well, and the he is currently after _you_." The Dessarian gave a little wave and left again.

***

"Mother of God, what happened in here?" Detective Maria Cruz murmured, looking around the drug lab. Her eyes settled on the pair of dead bodies, one with a deep stab-wound to the chest, the other without any obvious marks. "Turf war, Vicky?"

"Or something," he said quietly. He was going to have a _long_ talk with Daggon.

  
"Hey, at least we have this stuff at the source now," she noted.

"Definitely a good thing," Vic agreed.

"Yet you're still in one of your moods," she observed quietly.

"Not the case. It's Mel. Dating some guy. He's…"

"He's what?"

"Everything I'm not."

"So she's into guys who are short, scrawny, and have no sense of humor?"

"Nah. This week it seems to be the rich, intelligent type."

"Oh, them." Maria rolled her eyes. "_Boring!_"

Vic chuckled and shook his head. "Boring but rich."

"Rich, but boring," Maria corrected him. She winked at him. "So, speaking of freaks of nature, how's John Daggon?"

"Were we speaking of freaks of nature?" Vic asked quietly, swallowing.

"No, but I'm still curious. I mean, come on, Vic, you just moved a mental patient into your guestroom. So what gives?"

"He needed a place." Vic shrugged. "Don't know, Mar. Just… he needed a place."

"Yeah. So, he have a girlfriend?" she asked eagerly. At Vic's shocked look, she laughed and shook her head. "Joking. Not my type, Vicky."

"Wasn't aware you _had_ a type."

"Sure. Guys with working vocabularies bigger than their age."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"You know I worry, partner. I mean, is he safe?"

"Sure he is. Besides, he'll be seeing Jenny Wyatt on a regular basis… Ostensibly it's so he can visit this Karen kid, but Jenny is _definitely_ keeping tabs on him. It's her ass, too, if something happens."

"Yeah, if you say so. I think I'll be seeing Jenny on a regular basis for the next few months as well," she told him quietly. "See what she has to say about this guy."

"You're a mother-hen, Mar," he laughed.

"Can't deny that." Maria winked up at him. "So, do we have _any_ idea on cause of death on this second guy?" she asked.

Vic shook his head. "Going to have to wait on the ME."

"Lovely." She shook her head. "OD, you think?"

"Who knows? This shit is…"

"A 9.6 on the weird-shit-o-meter, yeah." Maria nodded. She glanced at Vic, her expression serious but her black eyes twinkling. "Of course… so is your boyfriend."

***

"He took Kaden, sir," Lana announced quietly, interrupting Zin's evening meditation.

"Anyone else?" he sighed.

"Vax and two others of lesser importance. Erak, another Enixian, and Essa, a Nodulian."

Zin rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Tell me they managed to kill him?"

"No such luck, sir. He is many things, but a fool is not one of them. When it became clear that he was no longer capable of fighting, he fled."

"The boy is learning."

"A bad thing for us," she reminded him quietly. "Sir, something must be done. If this continues…" 

"We won't have a work-force, I know." Zin nodded shortly. "Believe me, Lana, I know."

"Rhee's killing has some of them unsettled as well…"

"Rhee _deserved_ death, and not the honorable one you allowed him either, Lana. He ripped that boy's heart out!"

She shook her head in irritation. "That _boy_ of yours is our enemy! Now, I could handle you using Rhee to make sure that the wormhole wouldn't kill the Sar-Top escapees, but it has _got_ to end there, Zin." She sighed deeply and continued, her voice gentle. "Kedriss Daggon is the enemy now. If you can't accept that, we may as well go home now because we will accomplish _nothing_ here. You're wise enough to know this, Zin."

"I may know it, but I don't have to like it." He shook his head, sighing. "Do you ever worry that we _won't_ succeed?" he asked quietly, beckoning her to approach.

"Never." Lana shook her head and sat down next to him on the floor. "I've known you long enough to know that you get what you want. Like that Melanie woman. Besides, who is going to stop you? One heartbroken boy who can't possibly understand the extent of our plans here? He may be a threat to those of us that lack discretion, but he is _not_ a threat to you or your plans. He will be a petty irritation at best for as long as you can remember that he is no longer your friend."

"And I am certain that you will keep reminding me?" he chuckled, shaking his head and draping a fatherly arm around her shoulder.

"Of course. What else is a friend for but to point out one's enemies?"

Zin shook his head again, smiling at her. "You're a good child, Lana. It pleases me greatly that we see eye to eye because, by the gods, I would_ never_ want you for a foe."

Lana threw back her head and laughed, leaning into him. "You're a wise man, Zin, a wise man."

Zin smiled faintly. "At least wise enough to know better than to cross a woman like you."

"So, _Julius_, how are we to deal with the Porter woman, hmm?"

"She will first learn how to heal, then to manipulate energy and matter. If she can learn these, she will be combat-trained."

"And you gain yourself a Cirronian bodyguard bound to you by ties of sex and gratitude." Lana nodded her approval. "A worthy plan, Zin."

"Fortune seems to be favoring us in our plans," he noted. "Why else would the Fates give us a Cirronian to aid us?"

"Why indeed," Lana agreed quietly. "She'll need to be told about the Tracker."

"He wouldn't harm her, Lana," Zin protested.

"He doesn't have to. He need only know of her connection to us and he may begin turning her against you. He wouldn't even have to lie."

Zin sighed deeply. "You're right, of course. She'll have to be told something."

  
"But what?" Lana inquired gently. "The truth? You have the stomach for that, do you? You've quite nicely managed to avoid lying to her face so far, but if she becomes much more deeply involved, you _will_ have to." 

"You think my sentiment for her blinds me to that fact?" Zin asked quietly, shaking his head and smiling faintly. He patted her knee for a moment before reaching up and giving her throat a tender squeeze. "My dear Lana, I care for Melanie very deeply, but it changes _nothing_. As with every man, woman, and child I have ever encountered, I'll tell her _whatever_ I must to get exactly what I want from her…" 


	7. Chapter 7

****

Chapter 7

A month and a half with one John Daggon as a housemate and Vic had actually managed to come to terms with the fact that he was sheltering an alien cop. It took Maria's frequent teasing to remind him that there was anything even slightly unusual about either the situation _or_ the man himself. After some initial awkwardness over issues like hygiene, personal space, and Daggon's unsettling habit of _touching_ people, he had really settled into human culture quite nicely. Tease that she was, Maria's ribbing had become less about Daggon's behavior than about getting a rise out of Vic.

Vic was actually glad that he had found Daggon. Not just a fine cop, the Cirronian was a good friend, one of Vic's few. Evenings not spent knocking back drinks with Maria were generally spent hanging out with Daggon, discussing the differences between the legal systems of their respective homes.

Tonight, though, Maria was attending her godson's birthday party and Daggon was at the hospital again. He made a point of visiting Karen there whenever he was in town and even more frequently than Jenny had originally suggested, something the Doctor welcomed as both good for Karen and a chance to keep a covert eye on Daggon. For her part, Maria was following through on her threat to meet with Jenny regularly. Daggon was no fool, knew that the two women were keeping tabs on him, but he did not care in the least. He cared about Karen and visited her every chance he got. 

With Maria and Daggon both gone, it was just Vic. Just as well, really, he decided. It had been a horrendously long day at the office, with two mob families in the middle of a battle for supremacy. One of them, run by some guy who went only as Zin, was new on the scene and making a bloody splash, meaning lots of extra work for every homicide and vice cop in the precinct. Tempers were short at the precinct and no one was socializing with anyone else from the station on their down-time, needing to draw a clearer distinction between their work and personal lives. Maria and Vic were not spending even half as much time together as normal, usually only meeting in church on Sundays. 

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Vic sat alone in his dark living room, watching an X-Files rerun and drinking a warm beer. Maria would have been appalled and called him a heathen for drinking his beer warm, he reflected with a smile. He raised his bottle in a silent toast to his absent partner and recited Mulder's monologue to Scully along with the character. 

He looked up at a light rapping on his door, wondering who would be knocking at this hour. Daggon and Maria both had keys, and if it had been work related, someone would have called. Wondering who else that left, he put his beer down and rose, walking to the door. As he took a quick look out the window, part of him hoped that it might be Mel.

Not Mel, but a young woman, professionally attired and looking over her shoulder like the devil himself was after her. Vic quickly opened the door. She spun to face him, her expression wary as she regarded him. Vic revised his initial assessment of her to an age of not more than eighteen or nineteen. A very attractive and mature eighteen or nineteen, certainly, but still just a kid. A 'kid' who looked ready to break his neck if he moved too suddenly…

"Help you?" he asked in a neutral tone, his curiosity peaked.

"John Daggon here?" she asked in a low, expressionless voice, sparing another glance over her shoulder.

Vic frowned at that, wondering if she was being chased. "No, not right now. You want to come on in and wait for him to get back?" he offered.

She shook her head shortly. "I'll come back."

"He shouldn't be much longer," Vic told her, reaching for her shoulder as she turned. 

Her hand shot up and caught his wrist in a vice-like grip. "Do _not_ touch me," she whispered, shaking her head faintly.

Vic looked down at the delicate hand on his wrist. Tiny creature, super-human reflexes, unnatural strength. _Shit…_

"You're a fugitive," he whispered.

"I am." She nodded and released his hand, taking a single step backwards. "I'll return."

"How did you get this address?" Vic whispered, not at all sure that he liked the idea of them knowing who he was or how to find him.

"Relax, Detective. Only a handful of us have it. I was able to… _find_ it." She allowed herself a bitter smile. 

"What do you want with Daggon?"

"To turn myself in. I'll return."

"Whoa, hang on!" Vic reached for her shoulder again, snatching his hand back.

"And they call humans slow learners." She shook her head again. "Where is he?"

"He's… visiting a friend."  


"I see." She nodded faintly. "When is he expected back?"

"Been gone for awhile now, so it shouldn't be too long." He hesitated, a little nonplussed to find himself making polite conversation with a fugitive. "So, you… want to turn yourself in?"

Another faint nod. "May I wait for him?"

"Uh…" Vic shifted uncomfortably. 

"Hello, Vic," Daggon's cheerful voice rang out as he walked up the sidewalk to the front step. "Who is your friend?"

"Aeko, sir," the fugitive informed him, turning to face him and inclining her head politely.

"No dead bodies on the front porch!" Vic hissed frantically when Daggon reached for his pocket.

Daggon frowned faintly but nodded. "Inside," he ordered, walking up to Aeko and wrapping one hand around the back of her neck.

She grunted and made a face but allowed herself to be steered past Vic and into the kitchen.

"Sit." He pointed towards the table and pulled out his Collector, handing it to Vic. "Watch her," he directed, stepping around Vic and walking to his room.

"Daggon!" Vic protested, staring after him, then deciding that he did not want to turn his back on a fugitive. He could only hope that the fugitives were unaware of the fact that Daggon's Collector could only be used by another Cirronian.

"Relax, he'll be back," Aeko assured him easily. "In the meantime, it's not like I'm going to lay eggs in your chest while he's in the house."

Vic's eyes widened. "Eggs? In my…"

"_Joke,_" she informed him, rolling her eyes. "Honestly… Last time I checked, this body isn't equipped to lay eggs."

"Climate's wrong anyway, Vic," Daggon added, returning to the kitchen. "She couldn't possibly be in season in the middle of a Chicago winter." He retrieved his Collector from Vic who was standing in the middle of the kitchen looking staggered, and turned his attention to Aeko. "You will tell me the specifics of your crime," he ordered.

"I was convicted of sabotage by the Dessarian Authority and of High Treason by the Migar Security Council." She looked up at him, her expression sullen. "You know that, though. So what do you want to know?"

"Your husband was never caught, was he?"

"No, he never was," she replied in a bitter voice, not looking at him.

"I am sorry."

Her head shot up and she regarded him with mute surprise. "For what that's worth," she managed finally. "Thank you."

"Why did you do it?"

"I thought he loved me."

Daggon nodded slowly and touched his palm to her forehead. "You made the right choice in coming to me."

She closed her eyes and nodded, leaning her face into his hand. 

"What's her crime?" Vic whispered.

  
"She shared valuable physics research with her husband. He sold it to the Vardians and then vanished, leaving her to face the consequences." 

"And she ends up in prison?"

Daggon nodded. "Life term. It's the standard punishment for High Treason."

Vic opened his mouth to speak again.

"You should be aware," Aeko interrupted quietly. When she had their attention, she continued, "Zin selected this planet for a reason. He even selected Chicago for a reason. He hopes to find something here."

"What?" Daggon asked, frowning. He had always assumed that Zin's selection of Earth meant nothing.

"A weapon."

"The Strada Brac?" Daggon whispered, paling. "No, it's a myth…"

"Zin would beg to differ." She shrugged. "There is also a search underway in England. There may be others as well; I don't know."

"How did you find this out?"

  
"I occasionally serve as a liaison between the fugitives and Doctor Lana."

"Lana is Zin's most trusted Lieutenant," Daggon told Vic in an aside. "She's been missing for many years."

"No, she's been on _Earth_ for many years," Aeko corrected. "Laying the groundwork for Zin's arrival."

"And you work for her?" Vic asked. At her nod, he grabbed Daggon's shoulder. "You can't Collect her life-force. She's too valuable alive."

Aeko's eyebrow shot up. "Kindly define 'valuable'?" she requested in a low, angry voice.

"You're tight with Lana. You can get our boy here information."

"He's _not_ 'my boy', and I prefer to be Collected now, thank you. A life-term on Sar-Top is quick and painless compared to what Lana would do to me if she found out I worked for him."

Daggon glanced from Vic to Aeko, his expression thoughtfully. "You regret what you did, what came of it?"

"You think I'd be here if the answer to that were no?" she scoffed.

"This is your chance to start making amends."

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Damn, I could use a drink."

"I'll get you one."  


"How old are you?" Vic asked.

Aeko glared at him. "_Old enough_."

Daggon handed her a glass of scotch, sitting down across from her. "I can't force you to do this and I wouldn't try. But, I can tell you that it would be the right thing, Aeko. You help me and you start to make up for the deaths you caused," he told her gently.

She glanced down at the glass for a moment, then drained it, extending her hand across the table. "I'm in."

"Good." He clasped her hand in both of his. "I'll be in touch. And you know where to find me if he gets close."

She nodded and rose. "He may have a weak spot," she added.

"Oh?" Vic asked.

"There's a woman."

"Isn't there always?" Vic muttered, shaking his head. "This Lana woman?"

"Hardly." Aeko shook her head. "A human woman. No one knows what he sees in her, but he goes out of his way to cultivate her."

"See if you can get us a name," Vic said.

"I take my orders from _him_," Aeko reminded Vic, jerking her thumb at Daggon.

"See if you can get us a name," Daggon suggested gently. 

"Yes, sir." She nodded. 

"Okay, go now. I'll be in touch," he promised.

"Yeah, lucky me." She looked from Daggon to Vic, her expression grim. "Thanks _so much_ for talking him into sparing me." Shaking her head, she turned and started for the door. "_Some days it just does not pay to get out of bed…_"

***

Mel woke up to the sound of hushed voices and the awareness that she was alone in bed. 

"Oh, what does she want with him at _this_ hour?" Mel groaned, knowing that only Lana could be behind Julius' absence. 

It was either wait for him to return or go retrieve him. Bored and not particularly inclined to go back to sleep, she rose and shrugged on a silk bathrobe. She found Zin and Lana in quiet conversation in the office adjoining his bedroom, standing near each other, their heads together. Both were dressed in bathrobes as well: Lana had obviously been pulled from bed herself by whatever business she had for Zin.

It had bothered her at first that they lived together, especially since Lana had a habit of walking into Zin's living quarters in the mansion without knocking, but she had soon gotten used to the idea. She sometimes suspected that Lana was more deeply involved in Zin's work than Zin himself was. The girl was never without at least two tasks to occupy her attention. Mel sometimes wondered if she had even noticed that Zin was a male. Besides which, Zin seemed to view her almost paternally. They had certainly never slept together and she knew that for a fact. Mel had been a little shocked to discover that her first time with Zin was his first time _ever_.

Lana looked up first. "Ah, good evening, Miss Porter. Did we wake you?"

__

That was what bothered her now, more than any amount of intimacy between Zin and Lana could have. These impromptu 'business' chats never continued once either of them became aware of her presence. Zin would either send Lana off or return Mel to bed and then return to Lana. Either way, the details of his business were still an almost complete mystery to her beyond the few generalities he had shared on their first date. 

Part of her knew that she should probably question this fact, but another part quietly insisted that to question Julius would be to alienate him. She wondered at that response, too, though. Surely Julius, constantly encouraging her to expand her horizons as he was, would not object to a few direct questions. Except that he would and she knew it. So it was either challenge his secrecy and lose both a lover and a teacher or continue to play the dumb little girlfriend and retain both. And just as she had never questioned Rod, she refused to question Julius.

"Oh, no, Lana." Mel smiled faintly at her, shaking her head. "Just curious what Julius was up to at this hour."

"Talking shop, as always," he assured her with a laugh. Leaving Lana's side for a moment, he approached Mel, gently stroking her throat as he whispered, "Go back to bed, Melanie. I'll be back in just a few minutes." 

"Everything okay?" she asked, half-closing her eyes.

"It will be." 

He kissed her tenderly for a moment before gently turning her and ushering her back into the bedroom. Smiling, he untied her belt and let her robe slide to the floor, taking a moment to admire her before pulling back the covers and helping her into bed. Another kiss, a gentle caress, and he pulled the sheet up to her chin.

"I'll be back in a moment, Melanie, and then we'll work on tiring you out enough to get you back to sleep, okay?"

She smiled. "I'll be waiting."

"I know." Zin winked at her and then returned to his office.

Lana was perched on the edge of her desk, her short robe revealing rather a lot of well-shaped leg. 

Zin took a moment to admire the view before inquiring, "Showing off, my dear?"

"Mmm, just trying to point out that Melanie Porter is not the only creature on the planet with great legs." Lana winked and hopped off the desk, her expression demure. 

"Smart-ass…"

  
Lana ignored him. "So I should go ahead and have him killed?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low with Mel awake in the next room.

"Yes." Zin nodded. "He'll be a good example to our other human… associates." 

"Subordinates," Lana corrected him mildly. 

"Subordinates," he corrected himself, nodding. "Now run along." He gave her throat a gentle squeeze. "After all, you need your beauty sleep, my dear." He gave her a gentle pat on the behind as she left, then returned to the waiting Mel. "Sorry about that, Melanie," he told her, slipping off his robe and climbing back into bed.

"You've been so busy lately," she sighed, snuggling against him. He raised an eyebrow at her words and she shrugged, dropping the matter. "You're going to exhaust yourself, Julius."

"I know, I know." He gave her a tolerant smile, wrapping his arms around her. She was well-trained, always knew when _not_ to push. "But we're trying to acquire some new properties. Once we're more firmly established on that front, I won't need to work such odd hours, I promise."

"You'd _better_ not have to," she grumbled with mock-severity.

He chuckled. "So, what did you learn today?"

"Well, I'm getting _very_ good at healing. Not just bruises any more, either, but cuts, too."

"Splendid!"

"I don't even leave a scar any more," she told him proudly.

"My, my, aren't we the bright girl?" he asked, smiling down at her. "Melanie, you have no idea how much this news pleases me. How about opening locks? Weren't you supposed to start on that this week as well?"

She nodded. "I'm up to turning deadbolts. Still having a little trouble with regular locks."

"Well, you'll get there," he promised. 

"Why do I have to learn how to open locks anyway?" she yawned, resting her cheek against his chest.

"You never know when you might accidentally lock yourself out of your apartment," he teased. "Trust me, Melanie. It will help with the other skills you'll be learning."

"If you say so." Mel grinned up at him. "So, what's after breaking and entering?"

He chuckled. "Self-defense, of course."

"What, like Karate?"

"No. We'll be teaching you to use your_ powers_ to defend yourself."

"How's that work?"

"You'll see," he promised. "I'll arrange a demonstration."

"Great," she murmured.

  
"There is one more thing we need to talk about," he told her.

"What's that, Julius?"

"Daggon."

  
"Who?" she yawned.

"I've been putting off telling you. I didn't want to alarm you." Zin sighed. "But the more we accomplish here, the more likely it becomes that he'll come after you."

Mel was no longer even slightly tired. "Come after me?" she repeated, staring up at him.

He nodded slowly. "Melanie, a man like me earns enemies."

"Enemies?" she whispered, blinking.

"Daggon wants to take me down in a _very_ bad way. He may go after you to get to me. This is why I want you to learn how to use your powers in self-defense."

"Oh, God. You really think he'd try to hurt me?"

  
"Hurt you, or try to turn you against me with words." Zin shrugged. "You need to guard yourself, not trust strangers."

"I… I won't," she promised. "I'll be careful."

"Good girl." He smiled down at her again. Affection and gratitude ensured that she would be inclined to believe him. Now that she knew to consider Daggon an enemy, there would be little he could accomplish. Any negative word about Zin out of _anyone's _mouth would be suspect. It was a beautifully simple system, and one that would only increase her loyalty to him as time progressed. She was definitely a find, his Cirronian pet. "Now go back to sleep."

"Not tired."

His smile widened. "Good. Neither am I."


	8. Chapter 8

****

Chapter 8

"It's like a human tradition, getting drunk to forget your problems," Vic explained to Daggon for perhaps the tenth time, ushering him into the Watchfire.

Daggon nodded slowly. "Then I will get _very_ drunk, Vic," he announced. "I don't wish to remember _anything_ tonight."

"I'll bet." Vic nodded and patted his back. "Grab that table over there. I'll get us a pitcher of beer."

"Okay, Vic." Daggon nodded and started towards the table.

"Who's your friend, Vic?" Jess asked with a smile, watching Daggon's retreating form with obvious approval.

Vic rolled his eyes. He should have known that Daggon in snug blue-jeans would garner that response from Jess. "Name's John Daggon. Buddy of mine."

"He a cop?"

  
"Yeah. We work together sometimes."  


"Not tonight, though?" she asked, looking up at him.

  
"Nah, Jess, not tonight." Vic shook his head. "Tonight we are drowning John's sorrows."

"Sorrows, huh?" Jess asked, drawing up a pitcher of beer.

"It's the anniversary of his wife's death."

"Ouch." Jess' smile faded.

"Mel out with Julius?" Vic asked as she placed the pitcher on a tray, along with a pair of glasses.

"Nah, at that art class or whatever that she's taking…"

"Ah." Vic nodded. Mel had mentioned something about taking art lessons. Must have been pretty intensive lessons, judging by the amount of her time it consumed. "He treating her okay? This Julius guy?"

"He's great to her, Vic," Jess told him softly.

"Guess I should be happy about that." Shrugging to himself, Vic picked up the tray. "Thanks, Jess. I'm sure I'll be back in a bit. Mar might be joining us later. Point her our way, will you?"

"Sure, Vic. You take care. Both of you."

"Thanks, Jess."

***

Vic and Daggon were halfway through their second pitcher when Maria arrived, the majority having been consumed by Daggon in between wise comments about how unwise overindulgence could be. An hour after Maria arrived, such comments were replaced by rambling tributes to Nallia's inner beauty and generous nature and Daggon had switched to shots. 

"She had _eyes_ that could look into your soul," Daggon murmured before tossing back another shot. Even Maria, who had learned how to hold her liquor in the Marines, was wincing by this point. He gazed foggily over at Vic, announcing dolefully, "I can still remember…" He examined the empty shot-glass in his hand thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I should drink more," he decided.

"I think maybe you've had enough, my friend," Maria interrupted, plucking the glass out of his hand. "Why don't we switch you to water, hmm?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "I can still remember the day our daughter was born."

Maria winced again, feeling even more sorry for this man than she had when Vic had told her about the murders in the first place. Nine years past they may have been, but the wound was still fresh. "Yeah. Let's get another bottle of scotch over here, big guy," she murmured, gently rubbing his back for a moment before rising. "Vic?"

Vic shook his head and made a face. "One of us needs to be sober enough to call an ambulance when you two give yourself alcohol poisoning…"

"It was your idea, Vic," Daggon protested as Maria walked back to the bar. 

Vic shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "You don't drink. I figured it'd take you two or three shots and you'd be _out_."

"Out?" he repeated, frowning.

"Asleep."

"I don't--"

"Unconscious," Vic ammended.

"Ah." Daggon nodded faintly and glanced wistfully at his empty glass. "I helped deliver her into the universe, Vic. Did I tell you that?"

"Ashi? Your daughter?" he asked, frowning apologetically.

He nodded. "Helped her be born, took care of her, taught her, _loved_ her…"

"Here's to love," Maria announced quietly, pouring him another shot.

Daggon nodded in agreement with the toast and held up his glass. "Hwa'a, Hwa'a i'an. Hwa'anni, ey tenat anyahka, kal, kal'tra kal…"

Maria raised an eyebrow and glanced from Daggon to Vic, her expression curious and demanding relief from the condition. Vic was a little too busy staring at Daggon to notice. 

"Anatha," the Cirronian added bitterly, draining the glass and pouring himself another.

Maria's attention was diverted from the _very_ odd sounds that had just come out of John Daggon's mouth by the fact that he had actually managed to avoid spilling _any_ of his drink.

  
"What the hell?" she muttered to herself.

"Anatha. It means… screw it, only… more impolite," Daggon explained helpfully as he examined the contents of his glass. "I wonder how many brain cells I've killed tonight. Nallia would have had my hide for drinking half this much…" Shrugging, he drained that glass, too. "Is this the strongest they have?" he asked, frowning. "Because I still remember. Vic said people drink to forget and _I_ still remember," he complained.

Maria frowned and decided that enough was enough. Vic might have been joking when he mentioned alcohol poisoning, but the way this guy was knocking back shots, it was a very real possibility if he did not at least slow down. Three sheets to the wind himself, Vic was not going to be much help to her. Cursing in Spanish, she snapped her fingers in front of Daggon's face to get his attention. His eyes slowly tracked back to her, lingering for a moment on the petite redhead who had just walked into the bar before they finished their journey to Maria.

"Yes, Detective Cruz?" he asked, smiling sweetly.

Maria shook off the effects of that adorable smile and focused on distracting him from drinking any more. "What was that you were saying earlier?" she asked gently. "That toast?"

"Um, it means…" He paused to consider, searching for words in English. "My heart, heart of my heart, I love you with my entire heart and soul, now and forever." He sighed and reached for the bottle.

Maria gave a faint shake of her head and moved it out of his way. "_No_. You've had enough for now. You can have more later." 

Most women her size would not have dreamed of potentially pissing off a man twice her size, but Maria did not hesitate. He did look irritated by the restriction, but he shrugged and muttered sullenly to himself in Cirronian for a moment before rising.

  
"Where are you going?" Vic asked, frowning.

"Men's room," he explained over his shoulder, staggering in that direction.

"Go make sure he doesn't fall and kill himself," Maria suggested to Vic, shaking her head.

"Yeah, good idea." He rose quickly, immediately wishing that he had moved with a little more caution as the room started spinning.

Maria was on her feet instantly, bracing him upright until the dizziness passed. "Don't _you_ fall and kill yourself either, Vicky," she whispered in his ear. "Oh, and we need to have a long talk later. Now go."

Vic nodded, not liking the idea of a 'long talk' with Maria one little bit. Either she was pissed at him for getting Daggon drunk in the first place or her curiosity about the Cirronian had finally reached a head, no doubt helped along by the fact that he could out-drink her and still remain relative mobile and _more_ helped by his little Cirronian toast earlier. He was going to have to talk to Daggon about speaking the language in public. 

It was one thing when it was just them and Aeko, but something else entirely in front of a woman like Maria. She was smart enough and spoke enough languages other than English and Spanish to _know_ that those words had not originated on Earth. Add that to her curious nature and her _great_ interrogation skills and it was all over. He could only hope that she was drunk enough that she might not remember it tomorrow.

When he arrived in the men's room, Daggon was washing his hands, a habit he had picked up since associating with Aeko. How he knew that _she_ always washed her hands in the bathroom, or how she had found out that Daggon had _not_ always been in that habit, Vic was not even going to ask. Daggon had not always been fastidious about it at first because Vic had never thought to make an issue of it. Lots of guys did not wash their hands, after all. Now, though, every time Vic went to the bathroom Daggon would cheerfully remind him to do so.

"Hey, buddy," Vic greeted him quietly.

"Your planet's alcohol is _very_ ineffective on this body, Vic," Daggon announced, grabbing a paper towel and shaking his head. "No wonder Fek-Maln was so popular with the fugitives. Do you know how much Aeko has to drink to replicate that effect in _her_ body?"

"Okay, remember that discussion we had about Aeko and underage drinking? I can't hear this, Daggon."

  
"She is _not_ underage, though."

"But her body is and that's all my government cares about. It doesn't matter. Look, Daggon, you can _not_ go around speaking Cirronian in front of Maria, okay?"

  
"Why not?"

"Because she will _know_ that you are not human. It would scare her," Vic sighed. "Look, she's not ready yet. When she is, we'll tell her and she will be a great help to you, but right now is _not_ that time. Let her get to know you a little better first. Okay?"

Daggon nodded. "Okay, Vic."

"Okay." Vic smiled and nodded. 

"I miss her so much, Vic," he whispered.

Vic looked up, shocked by his forlorn tone, like a little boy who had just lost his only friend in the world. "I know you do, buddy," he sighed, gently patting his shoulder. 

"There are times when I would rather die than go on without them, Vic…"

Vic opened his mouth to respond, but his words were drowned out by a loud sob from the Cirronian. Vic hated dealing with crying adults, absolutely _hated_ it. It had more to do with the _reason_ that most adults cried around him than anything else. Like every surviving parent or spouse the homicide Detective had ever dealt with, Daggon had had a piece of his soul ripped out and the wound was still raw. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around the Cirronian and let him shed some much-needed tears.

Daggon was a little surprised to find himself in Vic's arms, but grateful all the same. As often as Vic was always going on about how Daggon touched people too much, he had seen when his friend needed comfort and had given it to him in the only way he knew how to as a human. The Cirronian considered himself lucky to have been found by the Detective. He could have done far worse for a friend and ally. Clinging to him tightly, he cried until his sobs became sniffles, feeling oddly cleansed by the action.

Vic held him for a few more moments, before gently releasing him and taking a step back. The Cirronian looked drunk and depressed, but not nearly as torn up as he had a few minutes ago. Go out, have another drink or two, then shovel Daggon into a taxi and get him home.

"Ready to go back out?" he asked gently once the Cirronian had managed to compose himself.

"Vic?"

  
"Yeah?"

"Why is the floor moving?"

Laughing and shaking his head, Vic slung an arm around Daggon's shoulder, steering him back out to the barroom. "Because we finally got you drunk…"

"Oh…"

When they reached the table again, Maria was absorbed in conversation with Mel.

"Hey, sweetie," Vic greeted Mel, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Mel grinned and kissed his cheek in return. "Hey, Vic."

"This is my buddy John," Vic added, nodding to the man who was tightly grasping his arm. "John overdid," he added as the Cirronian listed slightly to the left.

"I would say so," Mel agreed. She smiled up at the handsome man hanging on to Vic for dear life. "Celebrating?" she asked automatically, immediately regretting the words. Judging by his red-rimmed eyes, the guy had obviously been crying in the last few minutes. His desolate expression told her the rest of the story. He had lost someone very dear to him, a partner or spouse probably.

"Trying to forget. Vic said my troubles could be drown…ded." He sighed deeply, new tears filling his eyes. "Vic was mistaken, I think…"

  
"Yeah, looks that way," Mel agreed quietly, pulling a clean tissue from her apron and handing it to him.

"Thank you," he whispered, accepting the tissue from her.

Mel recoiled as his fingers brushed hers, startled by the almost electric contact. That sense of familiarity she had felt with Zin and Lana at their first meetings was here with this man, too, magnified by a thousand. Something else, too: a pull, an attraction, a feeling like she belonged with this man. Not quite sexual, or not _entirely_, but perhaps even stronger because it lacked that component. This was _not_ a physical attraction. It was a spiritual one.

The tissue fluttered to the floor, forgotten, as Daggon regarded Vic's human friend in quiet wonder. Touching her, the sense he got of the person she was… it was beautiful, like going home. No wonder Vic had once loved this creature. There was nothing _not_ to love. She was amazing, perfect. In spite of the dark cloud hovering about it, her spirit would have been perfectly at home in any Cirronian. She had grief and pain in her life, like he did, and fear in no small measure, but her spirit remained pure in spite of it.

He took a step towards her, instinctively reached for her throat, wanting to feel that spirit more clearly, _needing_ to. She stared up at him, her eyes stunned, making no move to pull away. 

When he had reached for her throat in the first place, all she had been able to think of was Zin, of how much he liked to touch her throat and how good it felt when he did. Remembering that buzz she had clearly felt when this man touched her hand, she was expecting more of the same when he reached for her throat. What she felt instead surprised her. Just… reassurance. 

She knew that she should have felt intimidated to have a complete stranger pawing at her throat -- she had been with Julius, certainly -- but he was just reaching out, she could tell. It was obvious that he meant no harm. He had felt what she had when they touched and he was curious, that was all. Fleetingly she wondered if it were possible for time to actually stand still for two people. It certainly seemed as though it had, as if everyone else in the bar had stopped moving and was just… _waiting_. 

The moment was over as abruptly as it had started, with Vic grabbing his friend by the shoulder and giving him a shake.

"John, man, what the _hell_?" Vic demanded, staring at him with wide eyes. Speaking Cirronian was one thing, but getting physical with women uninvited was something else entirely. "You are _drunk_!"

Daggon never tore his eyes from Mel or even acknowledged Vic's words.

"It's okay, Vic," Mel assured her friend gently, struggling to tear her gaze away from the other man. "He didn't mean any harm."

"No harm," Daggon agreed in a halting voice, touching her cheek with an expression of awe. "You are _morah_… beautiful."

Mel felt her heart jump at his words. She flushed and bowed her head. "Uh, thanks," she murmured, flustered. Backing away, she bumped into another patron. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly, spinning to face her.

Aeko regarded her sympathetically for a moment before smiling. "You look like you could use a drink, miss," she observed gently. "Good thing this is a bar."

"Uh, yeah." With a hasty nod, Mel retreated to the bar, Daggon staring after her like a love-sick puppy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"How much has he had to drink?" Aeko asked Vic with a sigh, steering Daggon into a free seat and resting a gentle hand on the back of his neck.

"Too much, obviously," Vic grumbled, glaring at the Cirronian. "Man, what were you doing to her?" he demanded.

"You get him drunk and you get surprised that he suddenly becomes affectionate?" Aeko shook her head. Maria had hurried after Mel to make sure she was okay, so she took the chance to speak freely. "He's shit-faced, Detective Bruno. I need to get him home before he starts glowing."

"Did you say…"

Aeko nodded shortly. "It's what they _do_. Alcohol impairs fine-motor coordination, makes it hard to control his luminosity."

Vic shook his head in disgust. "He might have mentioned that."

"I doubt it occurred to him that it'd be a problem in this body."

"I'll get him home," Vic said.

"No, I'll get it. You see to your friend. She's probably a little shaken. I doubt she's ever been on the receiving end of anything quite like that before."

"What was it? What was he doing?"

"She needed… comfort," Daggon explained quietly, yawning.

Aeko's eyes widened and she let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank the gods. For a second there I thought it was foreplay." 

Vic stared at her. "Yeah, definitely time for someone to go home," he told her.

Aeko nodded and hauled Daggon to his feet, pulling his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, boss. Let's get you tucked in."

He looked down at her with a goofy smile. "Did you see her? She was so _morah_…"

"She _was_ beautiful," Aeko agreed gently. "If you're in to mammals."

Vic blinked at that statement, but pushed it from his mind in favor of another consideration. "Um… how did you know where we were?"

"You kidding? This is the _fourth_ cop-bar I've been to tonight. But it occurred to me that you'd probably bring him drinking and I thought I'd better rescue you before he goes nova on you." 

"He going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he just needs sleep."

  
"He doesn't sleep."

"Tonight, he does." Aeko gave him a gentle smile and a wink. "You have a good rest of the evening, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah." Vic nodded. There was a time in the not too distant past when he would not have trusted the Dessarian alone with Daggon in this state, but now he knew better. She had willingly put herself into harm's way just last week to catch a Nodulian assassin who was making women sick, using herself as bait over Daggon's objections. It had not been the first time that she had put her neck on the line either. She had made mistakes in her life, no doubt, but she had a good heart and an honest desire to make amends. Daggon would be just fine with her. "You have my cell if you need help with him?"

"I have it but I won't. Drunk Cirronians are easy. If he were Vardian, I'd probably need you and the rest of your city's police-force as backup. You and your friends have a good rest of the night, Detective Bruno." She inclined her head politely, then led Daggon off, half-carrying him.

Shaking his head, Vic poured himself a drink, then went to join Mel and the others.

***

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Jess asked as Mel returned to the bar, looking almost as unsteady on her feet as the man who had been touching her.

"I don't know," Mel told her honestly. "But if I'd had anything to drink tonight I'd be ready to write it off to that." She shrugged and rubbed her throat thoughtfully. It was still tingling where his callused fingertips had passed. Julius had _never_ been able to manage any sort of lasting after-effect.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Jess asked, alarmed. He had seemed so sweet, too, not at all the type to try something like that.

"Oh, no, Jess, nothing like that," Mel assured her gently. "He was just a little out of it."

"I'll bet. Vic told me that this is the anniversary of the murder of his wife." 

"Wife and daughter," Maria corrected Jess, joining them. "They were both killed."

Mel winced. "God, poor guy."

"Melanie, are you okay?" Maria asked, looking her over.

"Fine, Maria," Mel assured her, nodding. "What about your friend?"

"John? He's…" She paused as she watched Daggon's young friend haul him to his feet and steer him from the bar. "Obviously ready to call it a night."

"I'd say he was ready to do that a few drinks ago," Vic contributed, joining them. "But Aeko'll take good care of him. You okay, Mel?"

"I'm fine. How is John, though?" Mel asked, unable to tear her mind from Vic's friend. Part of her ached to find him and hold him in her arms until the pain was gone. She had been able to feel that pain like a living entity with a mind of its own, tormenting the gentle man. Her heart felt ready to break on his behalf. "Will he be okay?"

"I think so." Vic nodded. "I'll keep a close eye on him the next few days."

"Might want to keep him out of the bars, too," Mel suggested quietly. 

She could have kicked herself for the suggestion since it meant that she might not see him again, but a man who drank as much as John obviously had tonight did _not_ belong in a bar. Besides, what was she doing hoping to see him again? Truth was that she wanted a lot more than to just see him again, and it scared her. She was not used to being in the middle of a committed relationship and suddenly falling for a guy out of the blue. That one, though, had been one of a kind, easy to fall for.

"I think you're right, Mel," Vic agreed, sighing and shaking his head. "I honestly didn't think it'd go down like this. I figured we'd have a few rounds, commiserate a little…"

"We know, Vic," Maria assured him gently, patting his shoulder. "It's okay. We understand. His little friend going to be able to handle things with him?" she added.

"Yeah, she's cool."

"She know enough to call an ambulance if he gets sick?"

Vic nodded. "She's a smart kid, Mar. He's in good hands."

Maria considered. "So, am I driving you home or buying you another round?"

Vic closed his eyes and was assailed by a mental image of Daggon with his hands on Mel's throat. Aeko's comment about foreplay… He might have been feeling protective at the time, but he was not going to bother denying that Mel had enjoyed Daggon's touch. She had been wearing that shocked look of hers, not so much shocked at having been touched, but shocked at having enjoyed it. He had seen it a lot in their own relationship. The thought made it very easy for him to decide that a few more rounds were in order.

***

"Drink," Aeko ordered, handing Daggon another glass of water. The lights were off in the war-room, but it was still brilliantly lit by a _very_ intoxicated Cirronian Tracker.

"Aeko, this is the… fifth glass you've made me drink!" he protested, shaking his head. "Enough!"

"Just drink it and then we'll get you into bed."

Fortunately, the war-room had previously been a guest-room, and it still had a bed. Aeko slept there from time to time when they were working on something important.

Daggon sighed and nodded, draining the glass. "Happy? Don't know what the point is of making me empty my stomach if you're just going to fill it up again…"

She shook her head. "Didn't want any more alcohol finding its way into your bloodstream. You should have known better than to drink in the first place with your metabolism," she added. "You _know_ it hits your people funny… Currently, I am just trying to keep you from getting dehydrated." She removed the glass from his hand and pulled off his shirt. "You know what your problem is, sir?" she asked with a sigh.

"Why don't you tell me, Doctor Aeko," he grumbled, letting her push him back onto the bed and unbuckle his belt.

"You don't do anger."

"Anger is counterproductive."

"Anger is _natural_," she corrected him, pulling off his pants. "Love of the gods, sir, have you looked around you lately? What sane person can live in a universe like ours and _not_ feel angry about things? Cirronians _deny_ their anger like it's an evil thing. Only it's not…" She sighed and pulled back the covers. "Look, get some rest, sir. You need it."

"I know," he yawned, climbing under the covers. He watched her slip off her shoes, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Joining you. Someone's got to stay and watch you. However, I also need sleep. So, in absence of a nice warm basking rock, I'm going to have to settle for a nice warm Cirronian." She pulled off her shirt. "Or have you been spending enough time with the humans that the thought offends you?"

"Why would I care where you sleep?" he yawned as she pulled the rest of her clothes off and slid under the covers next to him.

"Get some rest now, sir."

"Since when do you give the orders?"

"Just this once, I hope. You need to talk?" she offered.

"Yes." 

  
Aeko rolled to face him. "So talk," she advised gently.

***

"Thanks for seeing me in, Mar," Vic said as they entered the dark living room. "But I'm not drunk any more and it really wasn't necessary."

"I know. Maybe I'm just a bit concerned about John and want to check on him?" Maria suggested quietly.

"That so? So _John_ is the reason you're in my home at this hour?" he teased. Five years with Maria as a partner was starting to rub off.

"I am concerned about him, yes," she replied evasively.

"I see." Vic raised an eyebrow, imitating an expression she often threw his way.

"We do still need to discuss some things," she pointed out.

"In the morning," Vic said firmly. "Look, you take my bed, I'll grab the couch."

"Your bed's a King. No reason we can't share…"

Vic gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah, Mar…"

"Only a come-on if you want it to be one," she told him gently, patting his cheek before stepping around him into the hallway. "Likes them young, doesn't he?" she asked as Vic was still trying to make heads or tails of her previous comment.

"Huh?" he asked, following. 

He looked into the 'guestroom' at whatever had Maria's attention and did a double-take. Daggon was sound asleep with a naked Dessarian sprawled on top of his bare chest. She opened her eyes and turned her head, staring at them in the darkness. Her eyes almost seemed to glow as they reflected the hall light.

"Don't wake him," she whispered, holding one finger over her lip. 

Not that waking the Cirronian looked like much of a possibility at that point. He was out like a light and, from the smile on a face that sleep had rendered boyish, he was enjoying whatever it was that Cirronian Trackers dreamt about very much indeed.

"I just got the poor baby to sleep a few minutes ago," Aeko explained. "We've been talking for hours."

"He going to be okay?" Maria asked quietly.

"He'll be fine, Detective Cruz," Aeko assured her. "He's never cried for them before, never yelled or cursed or vented… he's done those things now. He can begin to heal." She looked down at the Cirronian for a moment, smoothing back his hair and shaking her head, her pretty features marred by a sad expression. "He'll be fine. Good night, Detective Cruz. Good night, Detective Bruno."

"Night, Aeko," Vic murmured, closing the door.

"I didn't know they were involved," Maria said quietly, steering Vic towards his own room. 

"Neither did I." Vic let himself be steered down the hallway but stalled at the door when she tried to maneuver him inside. "Uh… Mar?" he began uneasily.

Maria regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged and gave him a crooked grin. "Night, Vicky," she whispered, peeking him on the cheek and turning.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. Where else?" she asked, not turning around.

Vic saw her shoulders slump as she walked down the hall and winced. Shaking his head, he followed, catching up with her in the living room. The hand on her shoulder, gently restraining her, was shaking. When she did not turn to face him, refusing to meet his eye in the dark living room, he knew she was in earnest. She was not a woman who freely bared her emotions, the reason for most of her teasing. She had gambled by following Vic inside tonight and perceived a loss. 

"How long has this been going on?" he asked finally.

"Too long, not long enough… somewhere in that range."

"Help a guy out, Mar!" Vic protested, spinning her to face him. "Damn it, Mar, would you look at me?" he whispered when she fixed her gaze on her flats.

More spat out that spoken, "Why?"

"So I can see your beautiful eyes?" Vic suggested. 

Her head shot up, but her expression was mistrustful.

"Mar, I am not a guy who's in the habit of playing games with women," he pointed out gently.

"I know." She nodded shortly. "It was _my_ play. And I fumbled."

"_No…_" He shook his head. "Mar, come on. In case you didn't notice, you surprised me just a little." Understatement, but he was not about to tell her so. "Come on, partner. I'm as jumpy around most women as you are around men and you know it." He shook his head and walked into the kitchen. "Damn, Mar, if you knew how long I've been trying to ignore the fact that you're a beautiful woman in addition to being a damned good cop, you'd probably slap me…"

Maria regarded him dubiously for a moment before seeing the truth in his words. "Okay, fair enough." She sighed and joined him in the kitchen, watching him as he pulled down a pair of teacups from a high shelf, stretching a little. She smiled faintly at the view. "Although for some odd reason I am currently feeling somewhat more inclined to spank you than to smack you."

  
"_Spank me_?" he repeated with a laugh, shaking his head and turning to face her. "I see. Chamomile?"

"Please." Maria smiled at him. "And yes, _spank_ you. If you're a cooperative boy, I won't even have to use my handcuffs. Unless you want me to," she added mildly.

Vic nearly spilled boiling water on himself at her handcuff comment, he was laughing so hard.

"Ah, better let me take over," Maria suggested, relieving him of the teakettle. They stood in comfortable silence for several minutes, sipping their tea, until Maria asked quietly, "Do you still love her?"

"Oh, _not_ a fair question," Vic protested, shaking his head.

"No, but an honest one."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of do." Vic sighed and shrugged. "I've always had a weak-spot where Mel's concerned and I think I always will. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Maria had known the answer before she had asked the question. It had not even been a matter of confirming her suspicions. "Thank you for being honest. It means a lot."

Vic sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

"It does." She smiled up at him, shaking her head. "Christ almighty, Vicky, you think I'm one of those women who asks a question, knowing the answer, and still gets pissed to hear it?"

"No." He shook his head quickly. "I just don't see why you brought it up, knowing the answer."

"Just wondering if _you_ knew it." Maria reached up and gently caressed his cheek for a moment before dropping her hand. "I worry about you, partner. Whatever else is now or ever will be the truth about us, I worry. A lot."

"Sure you do. That's what friends and partners do."

  
"Yes, it is. That and sharing with each other. So why don't you tell me what's really going on with John?"

"I can't do that, Mar. Not yet." He shook his head. Until he could be sure that she would not freak and expose Daggon in a moment of panic, he could not tell her the truth. "You've been talking to Jenny, you know he's cool. And I know that you are… not really sure what to make of him, but… he _is_ a good guy, and he is one of us. That's all that should matter to you." 

"That language he was speaking--"

"Was probably as slurred as hell by the twenty-odd drinks he had just consumed." 

"You're a terrible liar, Vicky," Maria sighed, shaking her head. "But… if you trust this guy unreservedly…"

"I absolutely do, Mar." He nodded firmly. "And I _will_ tell you the full story as soon as I can. _Very_ soon, I hope."

"Fair enough." She nodded and placed her empty cup in the dishwasher. "See you at work," she said, turning to leave.

"Mar," he began, catching her arm.

"See you at work," she repeated more firmly, smiling up at him. "Night, Vicky," she added before pulling him down for a long kiss.

Smiling to herself, she left her partner swaying on his feet in his kitchen.


	10. Chapter 10

****

Chapter 10

"Damn, that _does_ look like Cirron, doesn't it?"

Vic leaned into the war-room where Daggon and Aeko were examining one of his monitors thoughtfully. "Hey, guys, Mar and I are--" He trailed off, looking at the painting reproduced on the screen, his cheerful expression vanishing. "Damn. Something tells me that tomorrow's overtime isn't going to be nearly as restful as I had hoped."

Aeko looked up first. "You're one of the cops guarding the painting, Detective Bruno?"

"Yeah." He nodded. 

"Good, we need tickets to the unveiling," Aeko told him.

"What's his name and what's he want?" Vic sighed.

"_Her_ name, Vic," Daggon said, smiling up at him. "Zarreth. She's a very dangerous Dessarian thief."

"And she seems to have her shifty eyes fixed on this painting," Aeko added.

"Since when did Zin become an art collector?" Vic scoffed.

Aeko smiled faintly. "Well, either he wants to give it to his human pet for Valentine's Day or he wants to sell it." She shrugged and leaned over Daggon's shoulder, typing a few commands on the keyboard. "Personally, I would… _guess_ the latter."

  
Vic nodded, returning his attention to the business at hand. "This something I have to worry about?"

"No." Daggon shook his head. "She will be at the party, I'm sure, but she will be…" He paused, searching for the English word.

"Casing," Aeko supplied idly.

"Thank you." Daggon nodded. "Casing the museum to prepare for the theft, probably later that night after the other guests have gone."

"So the extra security details aren't in any danger?" Vic asked. 

"As long as they don't try to get between her and what she wants, Vic," Daggon assured him.

"Slightly less comforting than I could have hoped for."

"Would you relax, Detective Bruno?" Aeko asked, rolling her eyes. "The whole point of having Daggon and myself there is to _prevent_ any harm befalling anyone else." She straightened and walked over to Vic, looking up at him with grave, tired eyes. "We won't let your people get hurt," she whispered, squeezing his shoulder. "Promise."

Vic smiled faintly at her and nodded. "The two of you up for this? Taking on this Zarreth? Dessarians are nasty."

Aeko smiled wryly at him, shaking her head. "Hey, you know what they say…"  


"No. _What_ do they say?" Vic asked, sensing a set up.

"It takes a Dessarian…"

"Cute," he laughed, shaking his head. "Very cute, Aeko."

"I am not familiar with that particular figure of speech, Aeko," Daggon said, frowning up at them. "How does the rest go?"

"Takes a Dessarian to catch a Dessarian," Vic provided without really thinking.

Daggon frowned and shook his head. "No, I'm definitely not familiar with that expression. On which planet is it popular, Aeko? And how did you know it, Vic?"

"It's a human saying," Vic began.

"Humans have a saying about Dessarians?" Daggon frowned and shrugged, returning his attention to the computer screen.

As Vic tried to recover from the comment, Aeko took pity on the Cirronian and bent over him, whispering a few words in his ear. He smiled up at her and nodded his understanding.

"You are going out with Detective Cruz again tonight?" Daggon asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "She'll be here in another twenty minutes or so. In the meantime I guess I'll see if I can hook you up with tickets."

"Thank you, Vic." Daggon smiled at him. 

"You okay, sir?" Aeko asked when Vic had gone. "You don't look like you're feeling very well."

"I'm fine, Aeko. I just…" He shook his head. "Never mind."

  
"What?" she asked, frowning and touching his forehead. It was certainly warm enough to indicate good health in the Cirronian, but he was not acting himself, either.

"I can't meditate," he confessed.

"You can't… shit." Aeko frowned in alarmed confusion. "Why? For how long?"

"On and off since the anniversary of the murders."

"But… you seemed so much… freer after that night." He had spent hours crying and talking and, for the first time since the murders, giving vent to his anger over them, and it had seemed to do him a lot of good.

"I was, I _am_." He shook his head. "But I… just can't meditate some nights. I think about her and then I can't focus on anything else." 

"Your wife?"

He shook his head. "This… woman I dreamt about."

"This woman you dreamt about?" she repeated, blinking. 

"She has the most beautiful eyes. They match her spirit." He smiled. "She's beautiful, Aeko. Morah. Neh Etan. Melah en'i." 

  
"Yeah, beautiful. Got it the first three times." Aeko nodded, frowning. "And she's keeping you from meditating?"

"Not often." He smiled reassuringly. "I think she just likes to make her presence known, remind me of herself."  


"She's a dream, sir," Aeko reminded him gently. "A phantom of your subconscious." 

"She's a very beautiful phantom, then." His smile faded. "But she has so much pain, too, and doubt, and… _fear_." He shivered and rubbed his arms in spite of the heat of the small room. "I feel like if I could just… _touch_ her, I could take it all away."

"You want to… touch her?" Aeko repeated, shaking her head. "Respectfully, you've been in that body too long, sir. You're starting to think like a human male."

"Aeko, that's an unfair generalization…"

"But it's true, isn't it?" She shook her head, dismissing that consideration. She was more than a little worried by the Tracker's fixation on a _dream_. "It doesn't matter either way. She's _not real_. She doesn't exist so whether you want to touch her or kiss her or even _mate_ with her _doesn't matter_. The point is moot."

"She feels real," he said, shrugging. "There are nights when I feel that I _could_ find her out there." He gestured towards the window. 

"This is not healthy," Aeko pointed out quietly, shaking her head. "This is not like an obsession with a real, live human… You dreamt this one up, a creature to replace your wife, but she is _not real_. You have to let her go."

"I love her, Aeko. I can't let her go yet."

"Fine." She shrugged, annoyed by his refusal to behave rationally. "Just bear in mind that Cirronians have a nasty habit of going psychotic when they can't meditate for more than a week." She turned to leave.

"Aeko, it's not _that_ bad," he protested, rising and catching her arm. "One night, now and then. Where's the harm?"

"In living in a fantasy world? You'll end up as hooked on her as I am on Fek-Maln. Not a day will go by when you don't think about her, _want_ her. Nothing else will ever be anything but a sorry replacement." 

"This is already the case, Aeko."

"Wonderful. Then you just brood over your little dream-lover for the rest of your sorry life." She shook her head in disgust. "Let's get back to work."

"You're angry with me," he whispered.

"Just a little, sir," she agreed, nodding. 

"I'm sorry. I won't speak of her any more."

"Do yourself a favor. Get a real woman," she advised with a sigh. 

"Who would you suggest? One of the fugitives?"

"You could always do what Zin did and find yourself a human," she suggested gently. That he needed _someone_ was obvious or he never would have dreamt up his Melah en'i, his 'hidden beauty'. 

"No."

"Why? I know you aren't like some of the others who actually have a problem with the species…"

"I just… it would feel wrong."

She shook her head. "You are _gone_, sir. Irretrievable for a woman who _doesn't exist_. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No, Aeko."

She shook her head. "Right, then. Let's finish getting those museum schematics." 

"They're printing now," he told her.

"You know that I worry…"

"Of course you do, Aeko." He smiled up at her. "But you don't need to. This is not a problem."

"If you're sure…"

"I am." His smile widened. "In spite of what many other species believe about the Cirronians, we are _not_ children. I do know fantasy from reality, Aeko… Sometimes I just like to have my imaginings about my Melah en'i. There's no harm in it," he promised, reaching up and lightly touching her cheek.

"Okay." Aeko smiled at him, nodding. "Good." She grabbed a handful of papers from the printer tray and began leafing through them. "We need to take you shopping tomorrow," she added.

"Why?"

"We need to buy you something to wear to the party. In spite of the fact that you in those tight jeans of yours is a sight that _no_ human woman in her right mind wants to miss, you can't wear them to the party."  


"What will I be wearing instead?"

Aeko gratefully launched into a lecture about formalwear versus casual, glad to change the subject, but she could not help but wonder why the Cirronian would go to all the trouble of inventing a fantasy woman who was so clearly imperfect.

***

"Damn!" Mel snapped in disgust, shaking her head and turning her back on Reta. "I'm _never_ going to get this!"

"It is _not_ difficult!" he snapped back, his eyes flashing. "Just be calm and _allow it to happen!_"

  
"Easy for you to say," she grumbled, shaking her head and sitting down on one of the benches that lined the exercise floor's walls.

From the other side of one of the room's many two-way mirrors, Lana chuckled softly. "It's a wonder they haven't killed each other yet."

"Reta knows better than laying a hand on her." Zin shook his head. "He is many things, but never a fool."

Lana shrugged. "She's _not_ going to get it, Zin. Why do you persist?"

"She will learn to use her powers to fight. She has come this far. It is only a matter of time." He smiled at Lana. "Perhaps anger will avail her where her teacher has failed…" Zin smiled, imagining the look on Reta's face if Mel were to suddenly take him in the chest with a bolt of energy during one of their many spats.

"Rest here," the Cirronian ordered Mel, leaving the exercise floor.

"Not going well?" Zin asked casually as he joined them in the observation room.

"She's hopeless, Zin! There's nothing more that I can teach her."

"I'll be the judge of that, my friend," Zin informed him levelly. "I say that if you have taken her this far you can take her all the way."

"I believe that 'taking her all the way' is your job," Reta replied sullenly. 

  
Lana backhanded him hard enough that all three heard his jaw dislocate. "**_Hold your tongue!_**" she snarled the way only a Vardian _could_ snarl. "You remember whose presence you are in and you treat him with the honor he is due!" 

"And you remember who you are speaking _of_," Zin added, glaring at him and stalking out of the room.

"You overstep yourself," Lana informed the Cirronian flatly. "Your insolence wears on us both and that mongrel in there is the _only_ reason we haven't killed you for it yet. Now remove yourself from my sight." Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the glass.

"Melanie. I hear you're having a difficult time of things?" Zin asked gently, sitting down next to her.

She sighed and nodded, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, Julius. I'm trying_ so_ hard, I am, but…"

"Hush," he ordered gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him. 

"I feel like I'm never going to learn," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his shoulder.

"You _will_, Melanie, I promise. Just give it some time." He kissed the top of her head and sat with her in silence for a moment. "What you need is to get away for a few days. It'll do you good. This cold can't be helping. People like you prefer warm places, they _thrive_ in them."

"Why do you know me better than I do?" she sighed, looking up at him. He was right. Since her training had started, she had been even more sensitive to the cold than she had been in the past and the thermostat in her apartment was permanently set to 90.

"The blood-work tells the story," he told her simply, shrugging. The more she trained, the more latent Cirronian genes were activating themselves and the more truly Cirronian she was becoming. "The Caribbean!" he suggested abruptly. "We'll leave tomorrow." 

"You're kidding?"

"Why not?" he asked, smiling down at her. "It'll do you good. Get you away from your lessons for a while, too. You can come back to it fresh." He shrugged and amicably added, "Or we can go somewhere else if you prefer. Arizona is supposed to be nice this time of year, but it's supposed to get cold at night… There's always Hawaii or Costa Rica… Costa Rica is supposed to have an amazing array of tropical plants and wildlife. Read an article about them in National Geographic. It's _beautiful_ down there."

Mel stared up at him with wide eyes. "You want me to go with you to Costa Rica… tomorrow?"

"Or tonight if you prefer," Zin said, shrugging. His smile widened although it had more to do with imagining the look on Lana's face at this point in the conversation than it did with Mel's reaction to his offer. "Nothing going on in the next week that can't be handled by phone."

"Costa Rica?" she repeated in a whisper. "Julius, that's…"

"Just what you need, Melanie. Say yes. It'll be fun."

"How long?"

"Mmm, five days? That should be enough to get you rested up."

"I'm not sure if I can be away from the bar for that long…"

"Three days, then," he countered. "And I am _not_ taking no for an answer on this, Melanie," he added firmly.

"You _never_ take no for an answer," she pointed out with a grin.

"Well, there _was_ that one time when I was seven, but I don't like to talk about that…"

Mel laughed and shook her head.

"It'll be good for you, Melanie." Zin smiled down at her. "You know you want to," he added in a teasing tone. "Get away from the snow and ice…"

  
"Three days, huh?"

Zin nodded. "And I'm sure you'll feel less like killing Reta at the end of that time."

  
"He's _annoying_, Julius." Mel shook her head. "I have never in my _life_ met a man who is as holier than thou as he is… How do you put up with him? _Why_ do you?" 

"He's a necessary evil. Given what he has that he can teach you, putting up with him is something I'm willing to do."

Mel sighed. "There has to be someone else…" 

__

He would never have gotten so impatient with her, she thought, but immediately pushed the thought aside. Too many stray thoughts of Vic's friend these days. Zin was starting to notice, to comment on the dreamy look occasionally to be seen in her eyes, on the smile she always wore when she slumbered. So far Mel had always been able to brush his questions off or change the subject, but there was no point in pushing her luck, either, so she did her best not to think of him too much. At least not when there was anyone else around…

"There is _not_ anyone else in my employ who can train you. I'm sorry." Zin sighed, then smiled reassuringly at her. "It won't be long now, I promise you, Melanie. You have learned _most_ of what he can teach you."

"Is the combat-training really necessary?" she sighed.

"It is. Daggon is a danger to us. I want you armed against him."

"You told me… _yesterday_ that, with everything I've learned, there's hardly anyone on the planet who can do me any real harm…" she protested. "Just people like us…"

"He _is_ like us. He's like Reta, Melanie," Zin sighed. "Same powers, same life-long training."

Mel stared up at him with wide eyes.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry… But until you can take Reta down, I am not going to be comfortable with the idea of you potentially coming up against Daggon. _Especially_ since you won't let me assign you a body-guard."

  
"I'm starting to rethink my stance on that issue," Mel murmured.

"Smart girl. When we get back from Costa Rica I'll have someone assigned to you."

She smiled and nodded. "I appreciate it, Julius. Anything else about this Daggon character that I should know?"

Zin smiled faintly and shook his head. "I daresay you know enough, Melanie."


	11. Chapter 11

****

Chapter 11

"Why do I have to wear a noose again?" Daggon grunted as Aeko helped him adjust his tie.

"For the same reason I have to wear shoes that feel like they're two sizes too small." She gave his tie a final tug and nodded to herself at the effect. "There. Perfect."

"Depends on where you're standing," he grumbled. 

She chuckled. "Yeah, like this outfit is _my_ idea of a good time?" She shook her head. "I feel _ridiculous_." She paused. "This is the part where you politely tell me that there's nothing ridiculous about my appearance, sir."

"Ah. You look far from ridiculous, Aeko," he assured her. "In fact, that dress is actually sort of appealing on you."

Aeko smiled and shook her head, knowing that it was as close as she was going to get to a compliment from the Cirronian. "Where are Detectives Bruno and Cruz, anyway?"

Daggon looked around for a moment, then pointed to where the two Detectives were deep in conversation. "Over there."

"Okay, let's go say hi before we start looking for her."

He nodded and offered his arm as she had shown him to. Nodding her approval, Aeko accepted it and they started towards the Detectives.

"Hey, guys," Vic greeted them.

"Oh, Aeko, what a beautiful dress!" Maria exclaimed, smiling. 

"Yours too, Detective." Aeko smiled back. "That shade of blue compliments your complexion wonderfully."

Vic rolled his eyes. Although he was inclined to agree with Aeko's assessment, he was not sure how much 'girl talk' he could handle. He caught Daggon's arm and pulled him a little away from the ladies.

"So?" he asked.

"We have a guest list. All we have to do is start circulating until we find her. Between myself and Aeko it should not be difficult."

"Okay, man. Good luck."

"Thank you, Vic." Daggon smiled at him and returned to Aeko's side. The two women had moved on to complaining about how uncomfortable their shoes were.

"If they are not comfortable, why wear them?" he asked, frowning.

"Good question." Maria looked down at her feet for a moment, then slipped off her shoes and kicked them under a nearby table. "Better," she said, letting her long dress conceal the fact that she was now barefoot.

"You should take your shoes off, too, Aeko," Daggon advised.

"Dress only goes down to my ankles. I can't."

He frowned. "Next time you should wear a longer dress or buy more comfortable shoes," he advised as they moved off.

"I think John has a death-wish," Maria remarked quietly to Vic, shaking her head.

"You actually going to spend the night barefooted?" Vic whispered to Maria, shaking his head at the look Aeko was giving Daggon.

"Why not? I'll be fine as long as you don't step on my toes when we dance."

"Were we planning on dancing?" Vic asked with a faint smile.

"We will be just as soon as you invite me to," she replied with twinkling eyes. 

Vic smiled and bent down. "Mar," he whispered gravely, grinning. "May I have this dance?"

"You going to step on my feet?" she teased.

"Probably. Want me to take off my shoes, too?"

"I want you to dance with me, Vicky. Come on."

"Okay." Chuckling, he offered her his arm.

"What are these couples doing?" Daggon whispered to Aeko as they circulated. 

"It's a form of dancing, sir."

"Show me."

She shrugged and nodded, offering her hand. "Just follow my lead."

He nodded and let Aeko tug his body against hers and position his hands. "Vic and Maria are doing it as well," he observed as they swayed in place to the music.

Aeko nodded. "Not surprising. It's not my speed, but humans consider it romantic."

He frowned faintly. "Why?"

"Because they are genetically keyed to convey and receive large quantities of emotionally charged information via the sensation of touch. Therefore, touching frequently is considered an intimate or semi-intimate behavior."

"It _is_ pleasant," he conceded. "But not emotional." 

She shrugged and explained, "Two-part equation. Sensory input is always going to have a sensory element to it. But the emotional reaction is more a matter of psychological feedback than anything."

"Holding your body against mine would seem romantic if my feelings towards you were _already_ romantic?" he ventured, frowning.

"Exactly." She nodded. "As it is, the sensation is merely pleasant physically." Noting that a couple dancing nearby was staring at them after having overheard their comments, Aeko looked up and smiled cheerfully at them. There was nothing cheerful about the look in her eyes, though, and the couple quickly moved away.

"Why do you do that?" Daggon sighed. 

Her response was a whisper. "I'm Dessarian. We do _not_ like getting stared at," she reminded him. "It's the entire reason we evolved like we did."

"That's an oversimplification."

"But an accurate one." She smiled up at him. "Come on, sir. We've got a needle to pick out of this haystack," she said, pulling away and starting off.

Daggon stared after her for a moment, perplexed. Shaking his head, he followed. "Needle? Haystack?"

***

"_This is **not** how Zarreth operates!_" Aeko hissed at Daggon, glancing around the room at the dozen or so gun-toting 'waiters'. 

"I know." Daggon nodded, frowning. He glanced over to where Maria was speaking with the apparent leader of the band.

"Look, just calm down, okay," she suggested, holding her hands well away from her body. "We'll get a list of your demands conveyed and my people are _not_ going to try to make any trouble. There are a lot of innocent men and women here and I don't think _either_ of us wants to see any of them get hurt."

"Where is Vic?" Daggon whispered to Aeko.

"He left to use the restroom about twenty seconds before _this_ went down."

"Then there is a chance that he knows what is going on?"

Aeko nodded. "He would have heard the commotion. Ten to one the SWAT is already on its way."

"Good."

"You think Zarreth is still here?" she whispered.

"Is anyone other than Vic missing?"

She scanned the crowd for a moment, then nodded. "_Two_ someones."

"The curator and his date," he realized, shaking his head. Well, only one of them could be Zarreth. The other was likely already dead.

Aeko nodded. "We need to get out of here. You go. I'll follow."

He nodded and raised his hand to open a Hyperspeed window. Aeko grabbed his hand before he could, nodding towards a staircase. Two more men with gun were shoving Vic into the room.

Maria sighed deeply. "_Caray…_"

"Mar, you okay?"

"Fine, yeah." She nodded. 

"Any casualties? Injuries?"

"None. Just some very pissed off terrorists." 

"Okay. Sit with the others. I've got it from here."

"Vic," she protested, shaking her head.

"_Now_, Mar. Please?" 

"Vic!"

"_Sit!_" he ordered, pointing. 

"Pendejo," she grumbled, glaring at him as she moved to join the other hostages.

"He was only trying to protect you," Aeko pointed out gently, moving to sit next to Maria. Her little argument with Vic had given Daggon more than enough time to leave without being noticed.

"He's still a fucking idiot. I had them convinced I was in charge," she whispered.

"Your desire to protect him is admirable, but also as stupid as hell." Aeko refused to quail under Maria's glare. "Face it. The minute you couldn't provide them with a piece of information that he _could_, this party would have turned into a blood-bath. Starting with _you_, Detective."

"I know, I know, but…"

"Now the blood-bath starts with him, instead. Lovely thought, that." Aeko sighed. "Sorry. Just trust him. He's a smart man. He'll do what he must."

"I know. That's what worries me."

"You wouldn't happen to have a clutch-piece?"

"They took it." Maria's eyes grew wide as she felt cold metal against her leg.

"Now you have one. Five shots. Don't use them if you don't have to."

"You have a permit for this?" Maria asked, slipping the revolver into her ankle-holster.

"Must have left it in my other hostage situation…"

"Where's John?" Maria asked suddenly, realizing that the girl's date was nowhere to be seen.

"Doesn't matter. Try not to draw too much attention to the fact that he's missing, hmm?"

"Okay." She nodded slowly. She started to rise as the leader of the hostage-takers led Vic off.

Aeko grabbed her shoulder and hauled her back to the floor. "_Don't_," she hissed. "Detective Bruno will be _fine_. Put personal sentiment on hold for a few hours and see to these people."

Maria nodded and looked around the room. A lot of the men and women sitting there, including many of the cops, looked scared to death. She turned back to Aeko to thank her for reminding her of her priorities, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

"What the…" Shaking her head, she firmly refused to think about the fact that the girl had vanished in the blink of an eye, not wanting to telegraph her absence.

Aeko breathed a silent prayer of thanks to whichever gods were listening for solid-colored carpets as she crawled away from the group of hostages and after Vic. His heart was in the right place, certainly, but the man was more likely than not to get himself killed without help.

***

Zin was teleconferencing with Lana and Haag from the living room of the hotel suit and Mel was in the bedroom enjoying a late-afternoon nap. 

Even knowing that it was just another bid for privacy on his part, she had actually been pleased when Zin had suggested that she take the nap while he was talking with his people. Not that she had been tired, of course, but these days she _never_ said no to the opportunity for a few minutes of sleep, tired or not. She always had dreams now when she slept, constantly. Always the same dreams, too, dreams of _him_.

His beautiful eyes, his gentle voice, his hands, perfectly smooth except for those strange calluses on his fingertips… _Morah, beautiful_. Words spoken almost reverentially as his callused fingertips brushed across her cheek, his expression one of wonder. Those same fingers stroking her throat earlier, him standing so close that she could feel the heat pouring off of him. Time seeming to hold its breath for them, the shape of the universe changing until they were the only two people in existence. 

His obvious pain…

She still ached to hold him in her arms and make it all better, had to fight the urge to ask after him every time she saw Vic, knowing that if she saw him again she was likely to do something stupid. There were times when throwing away her relationship with Zin seemed like a small price to pay for a chance to feel John's hands on her throat again. She absolutely hated herself for that half the time, even if it _did_ feel right to her. Conflicted beyond reason, she tried not to think about it, or _him_, too hard. But when the dreams came... that was different, she told herself.

In her dreams she could enjoy his touch and sooth his pain and imagine a different life, one spent with him, and she could do it without guilt or doubts.

__

"Melah en'i."

Smiling and leaning against him, "That sounds very familiar, John."

"Of course it does. It's your name, isn't it?"

"Uh, not exactly."

"If you say so..." With a tolerant smile, he reached down and began lightly stroking her throat.

Mel closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the sensations he was stirring up in her, then sighed and shook her head. "Don't."

"Why?" he asked, removing his hand, his expression curious.

"I don't want Julius to know that I'm dreaming about you... He's starting to notice that something's changed."

He smiled and raised his hand to her throat again, letting it linger there. "He doesn't have to know, not unless you tell him."

Mel closed her eyes as he resumed his loving caresses of her throat. 

"Who are you?" she breathed.

Opening her eyes, she found herself getting lost in his, chocolate-brown and a mile deep.

His voice a whisper, he told her, "I'm your Destiny. Not Zin, not Reta. Me..."

She shook her head. "But, Julius...He's shown me--"

"Only as much as it benefits him to show you. You know this already, Melah en'i." 

"Who are you?" she repeated in a tremulous voice.

"Just a dream..." He smiled tenderly. "For now."

"For now?" she whispered hopefully.

"You saw it in my eyes. I'm as drawn to you as you were to me. We'll find each other again or your grandmother was wrong about Fate **and **_true love." He shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "And we know that she was never wrong about anything at all."_

"No, guess she never was." Mel smiled faintly. 

He bent and kissed her tenderly for a long moment before straightening. "We **will** find each other again. Keep your mind and heart open. Follow them back to me..."

"What about Julius?"

"He's a dangerous man. He won't let you go easily. Be cautious."

Mel snapped awake with a gasp, worried by those words of warning. Pulling her legs against her chest and resting her forehead on her knees, she considered. She knew full well that the 'John' in her dreams was _not_ Vic's friend, but a product of her own subconscious. That he could so casually deliver such a warning made her wonder what she knew about Zin that she was unwilling to admit to herself. She was half willing to dismiss the warning out of hand; it had, after all, been just a dream. But Zin himself was insistent that she _always_ attend to the things her unconscious mind tried to tell her. She doubted he had ever expected her subconscious to issue a warning against _him_, though. So _was_ he dangerous to her?

"No, that's silly," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Melanie?"

"Julius, hi." She looked up as he entered and gave him a wan smile.

"Bad dream, my dear?"

"Uh, yeah." Mel nodded.

"Ah, you poor baby," Zin said, settling behind her on the bed and rubbing her shoulders. "Want to talk about it?" he offered.

"No." Mel shook her head. "Just a dream," she told him, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his hands as they moved from her back to her shoulders and then up to her throat, putting the dream from her mind in favor of more immediate concerns. "Just a stupid dream..."


	12. Chapter 12

****

Chapter 12

The terrorist was aiming to kill and Vic knew it. Steeling himself, he threw his body between the gun and the security guard. He heard the weapon discharge at the same time that he felt himself being pulled down and away by an invisible force.

A muffled "_Ah..._" as they landed told Vic everything he needed to know. Aeko was about and she had just kept him from getting shot.

Unable to see her and unwilling to give her presence away in case these people worked for Zarreth, he turned all of his attention to the security guard.

"You hurt, man?"

"No, you?"

Vic shook his head and turned his attention back to their captors, just in time to see one lose hold of his rifle and get smacked in the face with it. As he went down, Vic tackled the second one to the floor. The security guard was at his side a second later and the two were quickly secured. Vic took a deep breath, unable to believe how closely he had avoided getting shot.

"_Thank you,_" he mouthed. 

A cool, invisible hand on his face told him that the message had been received. It lingered on his cheek for a moment before slipping away. Vic reached up automatically, but his hand met only empty air. Aeko was gone.

"God," he breathed, leaning against the wall and shaking his head and focusing on keeping his breathing steady.

"You have good reflexes," the guard told him with a faint smile. "That was quick, I didn't even see it coming..."

"Neither did I," Vic laughed, pulling out his cell-phone and dialing 911. "Yeah, this is Detective Vic Bruno..."

***

Daggon hit the floor with a groan. Smiling maliciously, Zarreth hit him with another burst of liquid nitrogen. Stepping around him, she picked up the fallen artifact and prepared to leave the vault.

"Going so soon?"

Zarreth spun around defensively, her eyes searching for the source of this new voice. She realized why it was familiar at roughly the same time that she realized that the newcomer was nowhere to be seen.

"Aeko," she greeted the other Dessarian easily. "Lana send you?"

"Why else would I be here, hmm?" Aeko asked. "Let's see it."

Zarreth frowned. "Why aren't you showing yourself?"

"Let's just say I'm looking a little the worse for wear right now. Do you have any idea how long that liquid nitrogen incapacitates the Tracker for?"

"No. Don't you?"

Aeko scoffed. "Of course _I_ do. It should stop working, oh... five seconds ago."

"Wh--" Zarreth let out a howl as she spun to face Daggon and threw herself on to his Collector.

Aeko dropped her camouflage with a little moan, sliding to her knees and pressing her hands against her stomach. "Sorry it took me so long to join you, sir. I had to keep Detective Bruno from getting himself shot..."

"You're injured," he whispered, stepping over Zarreth and hurrying to her side.

"I don't think it's serious," she assured him.

"Here, let me see."

"Can we get out of here first?" she requested firmly, nodding towards Zarreth's body. "Don't want to have to explain _that _to anyone."

"Of course." He nodded and rose, retrieving the artifact and helping her to her feet. "You're bleeding..." he whispered.

"Happens when you get shot. It's minor."

He nodded and pulled off his tux jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. "I can call an ambulance once we're outside..."

She shook her head. "I can't afford to trust a human doctor."

"Okay. I'll heal you once we get you home and get that bullet out."

She nodded. "Good plan. Detective Bruno should have called the police again by now, so the hostages should be safely out soon..."

"Good, that's good."

"Yeah." She nodded, swaying into him. "Ah, hell," she muttered, clutching his arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Just a little dizzy..." She shook her head as they rounded a corner. "Fine, I'm fine." Looking up, she smiled. "Ah, how serendipitous," she said with a smile, nodding to the group of recently liberated hostages being herded from the building ahead of them.

"Hey, try to keep up," an officer called back to them.

"Sorry," Aeko called in a cheerful voice, quickening her steps to catch up to the group.

"You are very weak," Daggon whispered, frowning. "Are you sure you can wait until we get home?"

"I'm _fine_," she hissed. 

Fine enough, at least, not to risk going near a human doctor who would probably take one look at her vital signs and blood-work and decide to vivisect her. She knew all about what those 'government' doctors had done to Daggon and that Nodulian Kres, and she was not about to invite a repeat of it with herself.

"Look, let's just get out of here," she sighed.

"Guys!" Vic called, running to catch them. "You both okay?"

"We're fine, Detective Bruno. A little worn around the edges, but just fine," Aeko assured him. Daggon could be talked out of calling a human doctor. The Detective would probably be another story.

Daggon glanced down at her, a little surprised, but did not comment. 

"Okay, good." Vic nodded. "Hey, uh, Aeko… Uh, inside… thanks for that."

"You would have done the same," she said simply, touching his cheek as she had inside. "Still, you're welcome."

"You sure you're okay? You look awfully pale."

She smiled and shook her head dismissively. "Fine, I'm fine. How's Detective Cruz?"

"Well, I haven't actually seen her yet, but I hear that she was pretty instrumental in bringing down the hostage-takers. Apparently they forgot to check her for a clutch-piece…" 

"You don't say?" she muttered, leaning into Daggon. "Well, that will teach them, yes?"

  
Vic chuckled and nodded. "It most certainly will." He frowned slightly, realizing that Aeko was wearing Daggon's jacket. "Aren't you cold, Daggon?"

"Fine, Vic," he assured the Detective, nodding. "But Aeko and I should probably be getting home if that's okay…"

"Yeah, that's fine." Vic nodded. Aeko looked badly shaken and it was not like there were no other witnesses.

"There's a body in the vault in the basement," Aeko murmured to Vic as they passed. "Sorry."

Vic sighed deeply.

"There's another body in the curator's office," Daggon added apologetically.

"Oh, for the love of--"

"Vicky!"

"Mar?" He turned in the direction of her voice, smiling widely as she came running up. "Hey, gorgeous!" he greeted her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He gave her a long kiss before asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Never better."

"How'd you manage to take down two of them when they were armed and they weren't?" she asked quietly.

"Well, I had help," Vic pointed out.

"It was suicidal of you…"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." He winked and grinned reassuringly. "Trust me, Mar, it was safer than it sounds. They got distracted, we used the opportunity…"

"If you say so," she murmured, glancing at Daggon and Aeko. Both looked like they, too, had seen their share of action tonight. "Dare I inquire after the nature of this distraction?" she asked Daggon, frowning.

"I don't know anything about any distraction," he replied honestly, shrugging. "Aeko might," he added helpfully. "Oww," he added as she smacked his arm.

"I see." Maria sighed and nodded. "Fine, just fine. I guess what counts is that no one got killed."

"We should go now," Aeko announced before Daggon could reply. "We have… stuff that needs to be done." Smiling at Maria, she tugged at Daggon's arm until he followed her to her car.

"_Moron!_" Maria told Vic when they were gone. "I can't believe you! You could have gotten yourself killed! How could you not let them think that I was in charge?" she demanded, hands on her hips. 

"So they could shoot at you instead of me? I think not, Mar." Vic shook his head. "Now call me selfish, but I don't want to lose you so soon after I found you."

Maria blinked, shaking her head. "You are _so_ getting lucky tonight…"

"You're kidding?" Vic asked, grinning.

"Nope. We had an argument in there. Got to have makeup sex. Preferably followed by 'thank God you're still alive, you putz' sex."

Vic laughed and shook his head. "Damn, I should get shot at more often."

"You pull another stunt like you did tonight again and _I'll_ be the one shooting at you."

  
He laughed and nodded. "You'd do it, too."

"You know it. So, my place? An hour?"

Vic's eyes widened. He had not realized that she had been serious. "That sounds good."

"Okay. You run home and grab a change of clothes, I'll order us some dinner and have a six-pack waiting."

"Okay." He nodded and smiled down at her, gently kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you in a bit, Mar."

"Don't forget your toothbrush!" she called after him, chuckling as heads turned and Vic winced.

***

Vic leaned into Daggon's room to tell him that he was going to be gone for the night and stopped short. Aeko's clothes were on a pile near the door. Aeko was on the bed, along with Daggon, kneeling over her with his back to Vic. 

"There?" Daggon asked.

"No, damn it! For the last time, _to the **left**_!"

"Okay, okay, to the left. You don't have to get--"

"Ah! Yes. Damn… _There_."

"There?" 

  
"Yes, _there_."

"Okay. Just relax."  
  
"Hey! Watch it, would you? Since when are Cirronians so clumsy? That hurts!"

"Well, I'm not surprised, considering how _tense_ you are."

"You'd be tense, too!"

Vic reached for the door, wanting to pull it closed and leave before either of them noticed his presence when he heard a deep purr from Aeko.

"Ooh, that feels _wonderful,_ sir…"

"It's supposed to," the Cirronian chuckled. 

Vic shook his head and bit his lower lip. "Daggon, next time close the door," he advised.

Daggon smiled at Vic over his shoulder. "Why, Vic?" 

  
"Uh, well…" he began. "Uh, humans…"

"Oh, hey, Detective Bruno!" Aeko greeted him, half sitting up.

Vic flushed and stared at the ground as her bare chest came into view. "Aeko," he greeted her uneasily.

"You've never seen a Cirronian do this before, have you? Want to watch?"

"_Watch?_" Vic repeated, gaping at her.

Aeko nodded easily. "I don't think Daggon would mind. You've done this in front of other people before, haven't you, sir?"

  
"All the time," he assured them.

Aeko frowned at the progressively brighter shade of red that Vic was turning, then began giggling helplessly.

"What?" Daggon asked, frowning down at the Dessarian.

"He thinks… You think…" She shook her head, laughing too hard to say much more expect for a plaintive "Ouch…"

"Okay, stop laughing now," Daggon ordered, shaking his head. "Do not make me knock you out."

"You wouldn't!" she laughed, shaking her head.

"If that's what it takes to finish, I will."

Daggon frowned when the comment only made the Dessarian laugh harder. He followed the direction of her gaze and saw that she was staring at Vic, standing in the door looking lost, embarrassed, and horrified all at once.

"Something wrong, Vic?" he asked gently.

"He thinks…" she laughed, patting Daggon's chest and shaking her head. "It's not important. Can we just finish this before I lose any more blood? I think I'm going to pass out."

"You're _bleeding_?" Vic demanded, entering the room. He had no idea how aliens handled these things, but he was not about to condone anything involving bloodshed happening in his home.

"She _did_ get shot, Vic," Daggon pointed out mildly. "Do you have a pair of needle-nose pliers?"

"Shot? You got _shot_?" Vic demanded, staring down at her. Sure enough, there was a little round hole in her right side, just below the breast. "Oh, my God! We've got to call an ambulance!"

"No. Just get him the pliers so he can get the bullet out," Aeko directed firmly. "You want to keep it seeing as how it was meant for you?"

"Me? It was meant for me?" he repeated.

"The pliers, Vic?" Daggon asked firmly.

Vic hurried and retrieved a pair of needle-nose pliers from his tool-kit, handing them to Daggon and staring down at Aeko. "You took a bullet for me? When were you going to tell me?"

"Got it!" Daggon announced, holding the slug up for their inspection. "It looks like it cracked that rib, Aeko. It may take me a little longer to heal."

"Okay. That's fine." 

She reached up and retrieved the bullet, examining it thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan as Daggon cupped his hands over the wound and a golden light spilled out from underneath it.

"Oh, my God," Vic whispered, staring. "What is he doing?"

"Healing me," Aeko explained. "Cirronian thing."

"Wow…"  
  
"What did you _think_ I was doing to her?" Daggon asked, frowning curiously at Vic.

When Vic fumbled, Aeko reached up and patted Daggon's shoulder. "I'll explain it another time, sir," she promised.

He nodded slowly. "Okay, Aeko…"

"You needed something from Daggon, Detective Bruno?" Aeko asked.

"Oh, just to let him know that I'll be… away… um, not in… uh…" Vic paused and took a deep breath.

"Staying with Detective Cruz tonight," Aeko finished for him, nodding. "Have fun."

"Uh, thanks." Vic nodded uncomfortably and backed towards the door.

"Don't forget your toothbrush," Daggon added helpfully before looking down at Aeko and asking, "What did he think I was doing to you?"

Vic fled before he could hear Aeko's response.


	13. Chapter 13

****

Chapter 13

Mel gave a triumphant laugh as Reta hit the mat. "_Yes!_"

Reta jumped to his feet and fired a bolt of energy in her direction. Aware that she would not be able to dodge it in time, Mel opened Hyperspeed and stepped easily out of the way. Shaking her head, she maintained Hyperspeed long enough to move behind Reta before slipping back into real time. 

About time someone showed the arrogant prick a thing or two about how 'superior' he really was, Mel decided, unleashing the most powerful burst of energy she could muster. It took him in the small of the back, sending him flying across the exercise floor. Mel pressed her advantage and was across the room almost before he was, ready to strike again should he try to rise.

  
"Well done, Melanie!" Zin called, entering the room and applauding. "_Very_ well done, my dear."  


"Thank you, Julius." Mel grinned at him, then offered her hand to Reta.

She immediately found herself pinned to the mat for her troubles.

"_Never_ let your guard down!" Reta hissed. "Not _ever_."

"Get _off_!" Mel snapped, releasing an energy burst into his chest and sending him flying. "I was trying to _help_ you, you son of a--"

"**_Children!_**" Zin bellowed.

Mel and Reta both turned to face him.

"Reta, that was _most_ impolite of you," Zin pointed out, clucking his tongue. "Melanie… never let your guard down…"

Mel sighed deeply, shaking her head. 

"Both of you take five," Zin added, glaring at Reta as the Cirronian stalked from the room. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Mel. "Well done, my dear. You have surpassed all my hopes. And _you_ didn't think you'd be able to learn this."

She smiled and bowed her head. "I was wrong. It's almost intuitive once you start…"

"It is." He nodded his approval. "Your body tells you what it wants of you. All you have to do is listen. Sheer instinct."

"So, I passed?"  


"Almost," Zin assured her. "I'm going to put you up against Lana next. _That_ will be your real test." Going up against Lana would hone Mel's combat-sense and mold her into a ruthless warrior. Cirronian combat skills, a Vardian approach to fighting. It was the perfect combination.

"You want me to fight Lana? Julius, she's a kid!"

"Don't let her appearance deceive you," Zin suggested mildly. "She's more formidable than myself and Reta combined. You'd do well to remember that."

"I don't think I've ever seen you fight."

"Well, I assure you, I'm more than capable. But Lana would skin me alive if she caught me doing it on any kind of a regular basis." He chuckled and shook his head. "Except here, now. You'll be up against me next."

"You want me to fight you?"

"Consider it practice for Lana. You should be prepared. You ever fought a telekinetic before?"

"Oh, yeah, all the time."

"Funny, Melanie. I'm serious, though." Zin shook his head and dropped on to one of the benches along the far wall. "You don't seem to realize exactly how serious all of this is, though. It's no game. I could break your neck at twenty paces. Lana at _thirty_. Either of us without expending much more energy than I did that day in my office pouring myself a drink."

Mel's eyes widened and the warning from her dream came back to her. _He's a dangerous man. He won't let you go easily._

"Those bolts of energy you've been so casually flinging around this past week? _Nothing_ compared to what Reta or Daggon are capable of. Reta could have you unconscious for _hours_ with _one_, not even breaking a sweat… And you? You stun him for a few seconds and you think the battle is _won_." Zin shook his head in frustration. "It isn't. It's not even _begun_, Melanie."

She shifted uncomfortably, staring at her feet. She was beginning to feel like a little girl, getting lectured for crossing the street without permission.

He sighed shortly and rose. "I _worry _about you, my dear," he informed her, wrapping his hands around her arms.

"Not exactly the… typical concerned boyfriend speech I'm used to getting," she whispered shakily, looking up at him.

Zin bit his lower lip, nodding sharply. "Welcome to my world," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry, but this is the way it is. For all of us. Someone else falls to Daggon every week. I won't have you be one of them," he said firmly. "You will learn to fight him, you will learn to win."

"He's really that big of a threat?" Mel asked, swallowing. _Someone else falls to Daggon every week_. Oh, yeah. This Daggon guy was obviously more dangerous than she had credited. 

"For us, he is the most dangerous man alive."

***

"Daggon!"

The Cirronian smiled widely. "Karen, hello!" he greeted the girl, cheerfully accepting her hug and returning it with one that left her feet dangling off the floor. "How are you?"

"Good, I'm good." She smiled widely at him, pausing for a moment before adding, "Thank you for the books. I loved them."

  
"Well, I have a friend who suggested that they were just right for a smart girl your age," he told her, making a mental note to tell Aeko that she had been right. "So, how have you been?"

"I'm good, I told you." She smiled and shook her head. "We painted today in art-therapy. I tried to paint a cat but it didn't turn out very good at all." She giggled and confided, "Doctor Johnson thought it was a horse…" 

Daggon smiled. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"It was pretty awful," she admitted, shrugging. "Doesn't matter, though. It was fun to paint it, and that's what's important." Her smile widened.

Daggon's expression turned serious. "You have such a beautiful smile, Karen," he told the girl quietly, touching her forehead. "It makes me very happy to see it. I can… tell that you are happier as well, and that makes my heart glad."

Karen bowed her head, then grinned up at him. "You and Doctor Jenny were right. Talking about things helps. I don't feel angry like I used to and… it helps me know I'm not alone."

  
"Never alone," he promised, smiling down at her. "Never. Now let's see that painting."

"No!" she groaned, shaking her head.

"Pretty please?" 

Karen sighed and made a face, rising. "Come on. It's in the AT room."

He smiled and followed, not unmindful of the fact that Jenny was already lingering in the art-therapy classroom when they arrived. She seemed to make a point of observing him when he was visiting Karen, but he had long since gotten used to it. He could understand her reasons for wanting to keep tabs on what she supposed to be his tenuous mental health, so he did not let it bother him. It was actually a bit amusing in his mind. One of these days he was going to have to tell her the truth about himself. Of course, she would probably have him locked up again if he did…

"Hello, Doctor Jenny," he greeted her.

"Hi, Doctor Jenny," Karen added, smiling. "I was just showing Mister Daggon my painting."

"Right, your dog." Jenny smiled and nodded. 

"Cat, it was a _cat_," she laughed, catching Daggon's hand and tugging him over to the easel. "Tada," she announced blandly, making the sarcastic kind of face that only a thirteen year old _could_ and gesturing to what was supposed to be a cat in a field of flowers. 

Daggon blinked at the painting and tilted his head, examining it from a slightly different angle. "Looks like a late Van Gogh," he decided finally. That art-museum party to catch Zarreth had definitely come in handy, he decided.

Karen sniggered and shook her head. "You mean after he went nuts?" 

"I really wish you wouldn't use that word," Jenny contributed quietly.

Karen rolled her eyes and shrugged. "What_ever_."

Jenny could not help but smile at how typically adolescent Karen was becoming. Even biting sarcasm was a welcomed change from five years of silence, though, and she really _was_ very sweet most of the time.

"So in the future I stick to drawing," Karen concluded with a shrug.

"You draw, Karen?" he asked, tilting his head. "I don't think I've ever seen any of your drawings…"

"You haven't?" Jenny asked, frowning. "Karen, why not? Oh, John, she is _wonderful_. Karen, show him some of your work."

Karen blushed and shook her head. "Come on, Doctor Jenny…"

"Why don't you show him that landscape you did," Jenny suggested gently. "It was so good that we had it matted and hung in the dayroom, John."

"Really?" he asked, looking down at Karen.

"Hey, five years… Had to express myself somehow, didn't I?"

Daggon smiled and nodded. "May I please see it, Karen?" 

"Okay." Still blushing faintly, Karen nodded and started towards the dayroom.

"She's really shy about her work," Jenny explained to Daggon in a whisper as they walked. "But she really is excellent. A lot of her drawings look just like black and white photographs. It's amazing."

"She has the soul of an artist," Daggon told her simply, shrugging.

Jenny smiled faintly. He was really quite eloquent when he cared to be. "And how have you been getting on?"

He smiled faintly. She _always_ asked this, and had given up trying to be even a little subtle about it. "I'm doing very well, Doctor Jenny. I have made some friends and… there is a woman," he added absently. And immediately wished he had not, knowing that he was going to have to step very carefully now.

"Really?" Jenny smiled and nodded. "Wonderful. What's she like?"

"Very beautiful and sweet." He fought the urge to give a relieved sigh as they reached the dayroom. 

There were a several drawings and paintings matted and hung around the room, but most were brightly colored and many obviously just prints. Karen's landscape was the only pencil-drawing and it _was_ beautiful. With the snow and ice-sickles it reminded him of Enix. He could almost feel the cold emanating from the picture. 

"This is amazing, Karen," he told her, staring. "It's beautiful. You did this by yourself? With just a pencil?"

"Told you it was good, Karen," Jenny told the bright-red girl with a faint smile. Oh, yes, Daggon was definitely good for her.

***

"Reta is not a happy man, Zin," Lana announced as he entered his bedroom.

Zin ignored her words but accepted the glass of scotch she offered. "What are you doing here?" he sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed and rubbing the back of his neck.

She shrugged. "Well, I figured that since Miss Porter wouldn't be joining you tonight that it would be as good a time as any to discuss her training. Neck hurting you?" 

"Just a little. Hit the mat funny while I was working with Mel."

"Sorry. I'll have a pain pill sent up," she said, kneeling behind him on the bed and rubbing his sore muscles.

"I appreciate it, my dear," he told her as she pulled out her ever-present cell-phone and quickly conveyed an order to that effect.

"No problem at all," she assured him, pausing in her massage long enough to give the nape of his neck a short kiss.

Zin frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing your boo-boo to make it all better?" she suggested in a mocking tone, resuming the interrupted neck rub. She looked up as an attendant arrived with a pill bottle. "Leave it on the dresser and go," she directed.

Zin sighed deeply, closing his eyes and enjoying her attentions. "Thank you, Lana. This really does feel wonderful." He gestured idly towards the bottle on the dresser and it flew into his hand. "How many do I take?"

"Just one if you plan on finishing that drink," she told him. "This helping?"

"Definitely," he assured her, helping himself to a pill.

"Does your Cirronian pet make you feel this good?" 

Zin's eyes opened slowly. "Why do you have such a problem with her lately?"

"I don't. My problem arises from the nature of your relationship with her."

"Speak clearly, woman. I'm not in the mood for games."

"No, you aren't. You've been distracted lately, edgy, short-tempered." Lana sighed, her hands stilling. "And you refuse to talk to me about it." She made an annoyed sound and shook her head, delivering another kiss to his neck.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he demanded, glaring at her over his shoulder.

"Maybe I'm testing a theory," she suggested, reaching up and tracing his cheek with one finger. "That _is_ what scientists do, after all…"

With a growl, he spun and grabbed her hands, pinning her to the bed. "I just finished telling you that I'm in no mood for games!" he hissed, scowling down at her.

"That's right, you did, didn't you?" Lana smiled sweetly up at him. "I'm sorry, sir. I was trying to seduce you, actually," she explained matter-of-factly. Freeing one of her hands, she reached up and squeezed his throat. "You _must_ be tired if you failed to notice _that_."

Zin closed his eyes under the pressure, growling with pleasure. "Don't do that," he ordered after a moment. 

"Shit." Lana shook her head and shoved him off of her, sitting up and staring at him with wide eyes. "You _love_ her?" she whispered, shaking her head.

He winced at the obvious disgust in her expression. Like any Vardian, she would not bat an eyelash at him _sleeping_ with a non-Vardian. But actually falling in love with one was a different matter. Hell, he suspected that Lana would have been disgusted with him if he had fallen in love with a _Vardian_ woman. Love, after all, was a messy thing with an awful lot of strings. It had a habit of fouling things up irreparably. And, idiot that he was, he had actually gone and fallen into it…

"Lana, I swear, I didn't mean to…" he began. He respected the girl, loved her, could not abide to think that he might have disappointed her. Except that he so obviously had. "It was supposed to be… _fun_. Nothing was meant to come of our relationship, damn it! It was a way of unwinding in my spare time…"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You, of all people. I can't believe it, sir… When we get back… You'll be able to have your pick of females. You _know_ that…"

"I know, I know. Just like I can down here with my money and ties. But…" He sighed deeply. "Damn it, Lana, I have screwed this up beyond all hope of repair."

"Yes, you most certainly have," she sighed. She shook her head again, thinking. "I can kill her," she offered after a moment. "Something painless, obviously, and _quick_… I don't want you to suffer." 

  
"Lana," he began.

"It would be for the best."

"Lana…"

She shook her head firmly. "No, Zin, just _think_… No one would have said a thing about it if it were just for the sex, but do you think that the Vardian people are going to accept that you are in love with an alien? They would cut your throat while you slept your first night back and we both know it."

"I know, but… _killing_ her?"

"Look, she and I are scheduled to spar tomorrow… there could be an… unfortunate accident on the mat."

"She used to date a homicide cop," he reminded her in a low voice. "It would have to be a damned convincing accident…" He quickly silenced the part of his mind protesting, reminding himself firmly that he could _not_ afford to let love get in the way of his plans. Not now, not after all their hard work. "Might be best not to have us directly implicated."

"You could be right. A car-accident, maybe. A robbery at the bar, something. Should I get on it?"

Zin swallowed hard, shaking. "Let me think."

"Zin…"

"Tomorrow, I'll tell you tomorrow, Lana," he promised, draining his glass. "Now get me another drink. Bring the bottle back in!" he called as she walked into his office to pour him another glass. He was going to have to do a lot of thinking tonight, regain some perspective. Shaking his head, he pulled off his shirt and added, "Then get yourself undressed and in this bed." 


	14. Chapter 14

****

Chapter 14

"Thank you, Reta," Lana murmured absently as the Cirronian finished healing the last of her bruises. Zin had been healed first and was already downstairs with Mel. "This doesn't go past the three of us, you understand me?" she asked firmly.

"Why so grim, Lana? You should be happy that he's finally over the mongrel."

"Yeah, I should be," she agreed, smiling and wondering how Reta would have reacted to the knowledge that Zin had called Mel's name more often last night than her own. Or to the knowledge that he had actually checked himself more than once so as not to hurt her. Ridiculous! _Far_ too much time with Mel, conforming to her species' way of doing things. Not that it had taken her long to break him of that bad habit. He was still a Vardian on the inside, after all. "It _still_ doesn't go past the three of us," she ordered.

"I understand." He bowed his head. 

"Good. You may go."

She watched him go with a sigh, lying naked in Zin's bed and reaching for the almost-empty bottle of scotch on the nightstand. Shaking her head, she drained it. There was no way Zin would be able to go through with an order to have Mel killed and she knew it. For his own good, she was going to have to take matters out of his hands. 

A woman like Lana might allow herself the luxury of love, but a man like Zin _could _not, and this was the reason why. Mel Porter had become an emotional liability and Lana could not allow that, not for Zin. But for that fact, Lana would have smiled and allowed him to carry on the affair for as long as he cared to exactly as she always had in the past, even doing what she could to further his interests with his chosen women. Not this time, though, not with what was at stake. He was going to hate her for it, but Mel had to go.

Shaking her head, she rolled on to her stomach, burying her face in a pillow and inhaling deeply. It still smelled like him and carried the last dying traces of his body-heat. The error, she decided, had been hers, in allowing things to carry on for as long as they had between Zin and Mel, giving him a chance to grow attached. Better to have brought him a different woman every night than to have allowed that to happen. Now she knew, but the damage had already been done. Mel had to die and it was going to devastate Zin. She cursed and shook her head, mentally running through a list of options on how to have a healthy young woman killed without arousing suspicion.

"Doctor Lana!"

"Go away, Zellon," she ordered with a sigh, not lifting her head from the pillow.

"Ma'am, this is _important_."

"Don't make me break your neck." Lana scowled and looked up at him. His face was anxious, excited. "What?" she asked, pushing herself up on her arms.

"The… maps, ma'am. We… we've located the Vault…"

Lana was on her feet in an instant. "Wonderful. Where."

"Here, ma'am." He handed her a map of the city.

Lana looked at it and could almost _hear_ things falling in to place in her brain. She began cursing in Vardian. When she ran out of Vardian words, she switched to Orsusian. Zellon slowly backed towards the bedroom door.

"Stay!" she ordered, her hand shooting up. 

Finding himself unable to move, he had little choice but to do as ordered. "Uh… all we need now is the Key," he whispered uneasily, licking his lips as Lana shrugged on Zin's bathrobe. "Um, the Gatekeeper should be--"

  
"Get me Zin," Lana ordered quietly. "Make sure that his little pet does _not_ join him. **_Go!_**" 

She shook her head and walked into Zin's office, grabbing another bottle out of the liquor cabinet and not bothering with a glass. Things had just gotten complicated. Again. 

"This better be good, Lana," Zin sighed, entering the office a few minutes later.

She looked up and extended the map with one hand and the bottle with the other. "The Vault is under the Watchfire. Melanie Porter is the Guardian."

"No… there's got to be some mistake," Zin protested, shaking his head.

Lana scoffed. "Explains the Cirronian heritage, now, doesn't it? Her grandfather sent to watch over her grandmother, _also_ a Guardian…"

Zin cursed softly, shaking his head. "And the Vault is under her bar?"

Lana nodded. "And, presumably, she has the Key."

"Get dressed," he ordered, hurrying to his desk and rifling through the doors until he came up with a detailed sketch of the Key. He hit his speaker-phone. "Get Miss Porter up here!" he ordered.

Lana shook her head, but dressed and straightened her hair before rejoining Zin in the office. She helped herself to another swig from the bottle before speaking.

  
"What now, Zin?"

"We ask her for the Key nicely."

"And if she refuses?"

"We proceed from there…" Zin shook his head. "She _will_ give it to us."

"Give what to you, Julius?" Mel asked, entering the office. She looked from Zin to Lana, frowning. "Hey, what's wrong, guys?"

"Have you ever seen this?" Zin asked, handing her the sketch.

Mel frowned and looked down at it thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't… Hey, it's… Julius, where did you get this drawing?"

"It's a copy of one from a text that's several thousand years old," he answered honestly. "Do you know it?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." She nodded uncertainly. "It looks a lot like this… _thing_ I found in my grandmother's stuff after she died."

"Can we have it?" Zin asked gently. "Melanie, I want to buy it from you."

She frowned in confusion. "Why, what is it?"

"A Key."

"To what?"

"Everything I've been trying to accomplish here."

"Uh…" Mel nodded slowly. "Sure, Julius. It's… what's it unlock?"

Zin gestured to Lana to go and prepare, then returned his attention to Mel. "A Vault. A Vault under _your_ bar."

"I don't understand." She shook her head.

"There's nothing to understand, my dear," he told her gently. "I need to gain access to what's in that Vault. It will vindicate my entire life's work."

She shook her head. "Julius, there's no vault in my basement…"

"I know. It's under that, too. Very deep underground, Melanie."

"Sir," Lana announced, returning to the office. "We're ready when you are."

"Wonderful." He offered his hand to Mel, helping her to her feet. "The world as a _start_," he reminded Mel as they followed Lana from the office.

***

Daggon groaned as he let himself into the house. It had been a _very_ long night and it had ended with him getting pummeled before Collecting his fugitives. He dropped on to the couch, exhausted and ready for a few minutes of meditation before he climbed in to a nice hot shower.

"There you are!"

He looked up at Aeko with a sigh. So much for meditating. "Tell me it can wait?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "He found it. He's on his way there now."

"No…" Daggon sighed. "He can't be ready yet. He still needs the Key."

"Oh, that's the truly lovely part. His human concubine _gave_ it to him. Turns out she was the Guardian all along…"

"What kind of Guardian would just hand over the Key?" he demanded, pulling himself to his feet.

"The same kind who would climb into bed with a guy like Zin. Evil or stupid. Doesn't matter at this point. We have to go."

She nodded. "Detective Bruno's on his way."

"You called him? Why?"

  
"He has a right to know under the circumstances." Aeko sighed. "Besides, you are probably going to need backup. Look at yourself. Shit, you may need the entire Chicago PD, sir. What happened anyway?"

  
"Ambushed by about ten Vardians and Enixians."

"Ouch." She frowned sympathetically.

He dismissed her concern with a wave of the hand. "Tell me more," he directed. "What do you mean that Vic has a right to know?"

"And know _what_ exactly?" Vic asked, walking into the dark living room.

"Zin has found the Strada Brac. It's as good as in his hands, courtesy of his human lover."

Vic shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Mel Porter gave him the Key to the Vault in which it is being kept."

"_Mel?_" Vic shook his head. "No, you're wrong. Mel would never do something like that. She's a good woman."

"Or not. Apparently she's been dating Zin for the past six months," Aeko told him apologetically.

"No, she's been dating some real estate mogul… Julius something."

Daggon sighed deeply and touched his hand to Vic's forehead. "Julius Zin is one of his aliases. There are others, but Julius Zin is his main one."

"And Mel's been dating the bastard? Maria and I have been after him for _months_ now!" Vic shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe this…"

As Daggon walked into the war-room, Aeko gave Vic an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Detective Bruno. I'm… I'm sure she doesn't _know_. I mean…"

"Zin is a charming man," Daggon said quietly, rejoining them. "She would not be the first to have been fooled. She may be an innocent in this, Vic," he told his friend gently, touching his forehead again and releasing calming energy.

"We need to go _now_," Aeko told them apologetically. 

Daggon nodded. "She's right. We have to stop Zin _before_ he gets the Strada Brac. Vic, you should stay behind."

"No, no way!" Vic shook his head firmly. "She's my friend. I'm going. Besides, you'll need backup."

"Vic…"

Aeko sighed and cleared her throat. "Uh, gentlemen? Less arguing, more saving the world from the nice mad scientist, okay?" 

***

Mel leaned over the edge of the platform, curious, only to be jerked back by Zin.

"Don't put your head in the path of the energy-flow," he advised gently. "Would _not_ be a pretty picture."

"Define 'not pretty'?" Mel asked, circling behind the bar and pouring another drink.

"Well, my dear, it _is_ meant to transfer matter from one location to another," Zin pointed out gently. "Therefore one's _entire_ person should be in the energy-stream."

"Guess that makes sense. How long before we can go down?" she asked, absently fingering the metallic triangle that she had retrieved from where she kept it hung over the bar.

"Not long now, my dear," he assured her, fiddling with the glass in his hands but not drinking. 

Lana was sitting on one of the couches on the far wall, murmuring into her cell-phone and glowering at the workers as they set up the machine that would allow him access to the Vault. Her gaze occasionally traveled to Mel and Zin, at which point her disgusted expression would become more pronounced. Then her eyes would flit back to the workers before Zin could notice that she was staring. 

In her heart, she knew that Mel had to go, and soon. Zin might never forgive her for it, but it was for his good and she knew it. Everything she had done since meeting Zin had been _for_ Zin and this would be no exception. In time, he would understand. He would go down to the Vault alone and, when he returned, Melanie Porter would be nothing but a sweet memory for him. Smiling to herself at that decision, her grim expression faded, replaced by a serene one.

"Doctor Zin, will you be going down alone?" she inquired gently, joining them. 

Zin started to shake his head, but paused at the look on her face. She actually planned on exploiting his absence to take care of his little 'problem' with Mel once and for all. He hesitated.

"This is your moment, Zin," Lana pointed out mildly. "Go down alone. I don't think Melanie will mind."

Mel smiled faintly and shook her head. "No, Julius. Go ahead. This is your moment, after all."

Zin sighed and nodded, smiling warmly down at her. "Thank you, Melanie. I won't be long, ladies," he announced, rising and joining the engineers. "Ready?"

"Yes, Doctor Zin."

"Lana," he began.

"Don't worry, Zin. I'll take care of it."

He gave a shaky nod. "Okay. Thank you, dear," he said before forcing himself to become absorbed in conversation with one of the engineers.

"Get you another drink?" Mel offered Lana.

"Please." Lana nodded and glanced at her watch before pulling out her cell-phone and dialing. The cell-phone slid from her hand as the bar's front door swung inward.

"Sorry, we're closed!" Mel called, looking up. "Vic?" she asked, frowning. It was. Vic, Vic's friend John, and the young woman who had taken him home that night.

"Aeko, you treacherous whore," Lana growled, rising. The bar door snapped shut. "How could you bring Daggon here **_now_**?" she demanded, closing on them.

"Daggon?" Mel repeated, staring at them again. "Vic, get away from him!" she ordered, circling around the bar. "He's a dangerous man…"

"No, Mel." Vic shook his head. "He's _not_. He's a cop, Mel."

"He's been lying to you, Vic. He's been trying to get to me through you…"

Daggon, who had been staring at her with wide eyes since his entrance, finally composed himself enough to speak. "Melah en'i?" he whispered, his voice shaky.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me!" Aeko protested, shaking her head. "You've been dreaming about _Zin's mistress_?" she demanded of Daggon.

Mel's eyes widened marginally. He had been dreaming about her, too? No, she told herself firmly. It was a trick, had to be, trying to get her off-guard, trying to force her to lower her defenses. 

Lana moved to stand next to Mel, looking the three over. "Leave while I'm still feeling generous," she advised.

Daggon shook his head. "You know I can't do that, Lana."

Zin looked up from his discussion with a bored expression. "_Leave_ now, Daggon," he advised mildly. 

Daggon's eyes narrows and he started towards the Vardian.

"No!" Mel shouted, hitting him in the back with a bolt of energy, throwing him away from Zin. 

Aeko rushed to the side of the downed Cirronian. "Sir?" she whispered, shaking him.

"Mel?" Vic gasped, running to catch her arm before she could attack Daggon again.

Lana casually waved her hand in his direction, sending him flying into the far wall, near where Daggon had landed. Every soul in the barroom clearly heard the sound of shattering bones. 

"_Vic!_" Mel shouted, running to him.

"Damn you, Lana!" Zin snapped, backhanding her. 

"Get the Strada Brac," she hissed. "I'll deal with them…"

He nodded and started for the platform again.

As Zin vanished, Daggon looked groggily up at Aeko. "You said_ human_ female," he complained weakly before his eyes drifted shut again.

Mel frowned at the comment, but her attention was immediately drawn back to Vic as he let out a ragged, gurgling breath.

"You didn't have to hurt him!" she told Lana, trying to probe for damage as she had been taught but unable to concentrate long enough to succeed. "He's not dangerous."

"He would stop you from protecting Zin; he is dangerous," Lana retorted firmly before turning her attention to Daggon and Aeko. "Before I am through with you, Dessarian, you will beg your gods for death…"

Aeko ignored her, more concerned about Daggon. "Come on, sir. You're needed here now," she whispered, brushing his hair out of his face. 

  
"Aeko?" he murmured, reaching out with one hand.

"Here, sir," she answered, catching his hand.

"You said human female," he groaned, struggling into a sitting position. 

Aeko shrugged as she slid her arms around him, helping him the rest of the way up and supporting him against her. "Yeah, call it bad Intel. Sorry."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Mel demanded, glaring at them. "Human female… What the hell else would I be?"

Aeko raised an eyebrow as she regarded Mel, but her gaze was almost immediately diverted. "Detective Bruno!"

Mel looked down at her friend and let out a strangled gasp. His face had turned a sickly gray and there was blood trickling down his face from the side of his mouth.


	15. Chapter 15

****

Chapter 15

"Vic," Daggon whispered, moving towards him. 

"Back off!" Mel ordered, glaring at him. "Don't you _touch_ him, you son of a bitch."

"_Hey_, just remember who mentally drop-kicked the guy across the room here," Aeko suggested bitterly, glaring at Mel. "Daggon's his friend. He wants to _help_. So _you_** _back off_**!"

  
Mel shrank away from the obviously angry girl, regarding her with wide eyes. As Aeko continued bristling at Mel, Daggon moved to Vic's side, moving his hands over the Detective's body, searching for damage. 

"Three broken ribs, punctured lung… concussion," he announced quietly, shaking his head. He looked up at the Vardians who had gone from guarding the platform to guarding them. "He needs to be in a human hospital."

"You're Cirronian," Lana pointed out from the bar, not looking in their direction. "_You_ fix him." 

"This damage is extensive and he is bleeding internally, Lana," Daggon protested. 

"Sad. Tell it to someone who cares."

Daggon scowled at her and began unbuttoning Vic's shirt.

"You bitch!" Mel snapped. "How can you be so cavalier?" 

"It's easy, actually." Lana shook her head. "If any of them try to escape, shoot them all," she told the guards. "That means no Hyperspeed. And none of your tricks either, Aeko…"

"When the hell did I go from being Julius' girlfriend to being _your_ prisoner anyway?" Mel demanded. 

"About the same time you outlived your usefulness to him. You're a liability now, and Doctor Zin does _not_ need any of those this close to the realization of his plans." 

"So he's been using me all along?" Mel whispered, biting back tears and looking down at Vic. "God, Vic, I'm so sorry," she whispered, brushing his hair out of his face. "Oh, God, no.. this is _not_ happening."

"You know how to heal?" a gentle voice asked. 

She looked up and into Daggon's eyes, even more amazing than in her dreams. Swallowing hard, she nodded faintly.

"Give me your hands," he ordered, extending his. "He was your friend?" he asked.

Mel nodded weakly and gave him her hands. "I swear, I never meant for this to happen."

"Zin is a charming man. You are not the first to have been deceived by him," he told her gently, pressing her hands against a large bruise on Vic's side and covering them with her own. "Where did you learn to heal?"

"Reta showed me. Um, a man who works for Zin."

"Embezzler," Aeko provided quietly to Daggon. "Fifty year term."

  
Daggon nodded and looked at Mel. "What did he tell you about healing?"

"Um… it's a manipulation of matter and time in a given area that--"

"What else?" he interrupted quietly.

  
She frowned faintly. "Uh, that was it."

Daggon frowned and glanced at Aeko. "And this Reta calls himself Cirronian?"

"Yeah. One of the racial superiority crowd no less. Go figure." Aeko shrugged. 

"What's a Cirronian?" Mel whispered. 

Daggon frowned at her for a moment, then his eyes widened as realization set in about how little this woman knew of herself. Any distrust or antagonism he might have felt for her was instantly replaced by pity. 

"Cirronians are… like us," he told her gently. There was no time to waste on trying to convince this woman of the truth while Vic was dying at their knees. "Reta neglected to teach you something about healing."

  
"What?"

"That it is an act of love. You care about this man? Use that." He nodded gently, his expression encouraging.

"I can't… I tried but I can't concentrate…" She shook her head helplessly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Do it," Aeko urged, her voice a whisper. "Undo some of the damage you have wrought. Detective Bruno is a good man. He deserves life."

Mel nodded and concentrated on healing Vic as she had been taught. Nothing happened. "I can't," she whimpered finally, shaking her head.

"Close your eyes," Daggon directed gently, keeping one hand over hers and lifting the other to her forehead, releasing soothing energy. "Disregard everything you think you know about how a healing is supposed to work. Now reach inward…" He watched her face closely, nodding to himself when he saw that she had found what she was looking for. "This is an act of love," he murmured to her. "Given and received in trust. For the good of all." He smiled and gave a relieved sigh as he saw the light spilling out from under her hands. "Wonderful. You feel that? Hold on to it. Good, perfect."

"Vic," she whispered, smiling faintly. "He's stronger. I can feel it…"

  
"Of _course_ he is stronger." Daggon gave her throat a gentle caress. "You have given of yourself to make your friend well. This is what it means to be Cirronian."

Mel gave him a shaky smile, feeling drained but satisfied. "Will he be okay?"

Daggon nodded. "You've healed most of the damage. I will take care of the rest."

"I want to," she protested. 

"Not this time." He shook his head. "Bones are broken. More training is required to deal with the problem."

Mel nodded and slid away from them, pulling her knees against her chest and resting her chin on them, sighing deeply and feeling like she had taken a particularly powerful bolt of energy to the stomach. This made every other crappy personal decision pale in comparison. 

"You've made a serious mistake," Aeko whispered to her, patting her shoulder from behind. "But… the situation is not irretrievable. Your crime, mine… the same. You can still atone as I have begun to."

"Your crime?" Mel repeated, turning to face Aeko, her expression questioning.

"We're criminals. All of us but Daggon. Escaped prisoners mostly, and people like Zin and Lana who would spend their lives in prison if even half of their crimes ever came to light."

"Oh, my God," Mel whispered, shaking her head. "Julius is a criminal?"

Aeko nodded. "His name is not Julius. Just Zin. And what he plans could destroy this planet."

"No…" she whispered, biting her lip.

Aeko sighed and took one of Mel's hands. "Hey, the world is not over. Not yet." When Mel looked up, Aeko smiled faintly. 

"But it _will_ be. Because of me!"

"Nonsense. You loved rashly and chose poorly. In that we are no different. You may still make amends, save any lives before they have been lost. Me, I can only make up for the ones already lost."

Mel stared at her with wide eyes, amazed by the quiet pain in the girl's voice. "What did you do?"

"The specifics aren't important at present. Can you open a Hyperspeed window?" she murmured.

"Yeah." Mel nodded. 

  
"Good. Let's see how Detective Bruno is doing, shall we?"

"You know Vic?"

She nodded faintly. "Through Daggon."

"And you and Daggon are…"

"Friends." Aeko smiled faintly at her. 

"Has he really been dreaming about me?"

Aeko nodded. "And you of him?"

"Yeah." Mel nodded.

"I thought so. You have the touched look in your eyes."

"Touched?"

"Illuminated, then. You've seen the Light, a Cirronian would say." 

Mel frowned uncertainly. "But what _is_ a Cirronian? A person who can heal?"

"Not a person at all," Daggon told her gently, offering Vic his hand and helping him to sit up. "Melah en'i, Vic is the only human in this room right now."

Mel stared at him in stunned silence for a moment before shaking her head.

Daggon nodded firmly, his expression reassuring. "You must be at least partly Cirronian in order to have been able to heal him."

"She can open a Hyperspeed window as well," Aeko told them. "What's that, sir? Half?"

"Quarter. She _might_ be able to at a quarter, depending."

"One quarter not human?" Mel asked, swallowing and shifting uncomfortably.

"Look, we can discuss this later," Daggon told her in a voice that was both gentle and incredibly firm. "We have to get you and Vic out of here," he whispered.

"They'll kill us all if we try anything," Mel protested in a whisper of her own. The guards, fortunately, seemed more interested in the platform than in them.

"You will all be gone before they may react," Daggon told her firmly, slipping one of his hands into Aeko's.

Aeko frowned faintly. "You have the artificial Hyperspeed device?"

Vic nodded imperceptibly. 

Aeko nodded. "Then we're all set. Timing's going to be everything."

"You go first," Daggon ordered. "The rest of us will follow immediately. You will convey Miss Porter and Vic to the car and get them to safety."

"What about you, sir?"

"You are not to wait for me."

"Sir," she began to protest. 

"You are not to wait for me," he repeated more firmly. "You will protect these civilians. This is an order, Aeko. Right now Vic and Mel need you watching their backs more than I do."

She closed her eyes, nodding. "Just don't get yourself killed, sir," she whispered.

"I hadn't planned on it," he assured her with a half-smile. He looked up at Mel and Vic. "Hyperspeed on three. Aeko?"

She nodded and blended into the wood-work. "Three."

Mel gasped and almost forgot to open the Hyperspeed window until the guards started to wheel around, guns at the ready. She panicked then and Hyperspeed opened itself. She looked around, scared until she saw both Vic and Daggon there, also moving in Hyperspeed. Vic was groping around blindly until his hand connected with something and she heard a muffled curse from Aeko. 

"Jeez, Detective! Way to stop a woman's heart…"

"Yeah. Can we _move_?" Vic demanded, keeping one hand securely around her arm. "This thing never lasts long, even when it's only maintaining _one_ person in Hyperspeed."

"Yeah. This way. Miss Porter?"

"Yeah. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," Daggon told her gently. "You can trust Aeko, Melah en'i, as much as you trust Vic."

"Sir," Aeko began, catching his hand as he turned away.

"Yes, Aeko?"

"Pretend you're a Dessarian for once in your life," she suggested, standing on her toes and planting a gentle kiss on his mouth. "Stay safe."

"You, too." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then moved to the platform. "Go!" he ordered them.

"Come on, ladies," Vic said, nodding towards the door. "I do _not_ want to still be here when this thing loses its charge."

Daggon watched them go before readying his Collector and approaching the first of the guards. Hyperspeed faded halfway through his second Collection.

Lana's head snapped up at the sound of the second guard slumping to the floor. "What the… You son of a mongrel whore!" she shouted at Daggon, her pretty face twisted into a mask of rage and bloodlust. She found herself nose-to-nose with the Cirronian before she could react. "It doesn't matter. You're too late… He'll have it by now."

"That doesn't help you," Daggon informed her quietly, Collecting her life-force and letting her slump to the ground. Shaking his head, he walked to the platform.

***

Daggon was very surprised to find Zin still in the Vault, sitting on the ground with the Strada Brac nearby. He wordlessly extracted his Collector.

Not looking up, the Vardian asked quietly, "Is it done, Lana? Is she dead?"

"You would have let Lana kill her?"

He nodded, not looking up. "I had to. She was becoming a problem…" He sighed deeply. "Damn it, Daggon, I never expected to actually start _caring_!"

"You genuinely did care for her, then?"

"Of _course_ I did!" Zin glared up at him.

"Put the Strada Brac back, Zin. Turn yourself in."

  
"You know I can't do that…"

"Then I'll have to take you by force."

"I can't let you do that, either…" The Vardian climbed to his feet. "You took Lana?" he asked, sighing.

"Yes, Zin." Daggon nodded.

"For that alone, your death will be painful."

"Last chance, Zin… Don't make this harder."

"Harder for which one of us, Daggon?" Zin asked, shaking his head. "Face it, boy. It's over for both of us. We'll be keeping each other company in hell before much longer."

"Very well, Zin." Daggon sighed and nodded, dropping into a defensive pose. "Let's get this over with…"


	16. Epilogue

****

Chapter 16 -- Epilogue 

"Here, this might help put things in perspective," Aeko told Mel gently, handing her a glass of scotch.

"Thank you," Mel sighed, accepting it with a tremulous smile. She had never expected to be sitting in Vic's kitchen trying to come to grips with the fact that she was not human. It was insane. Yet, in her heart, she knew it was true. She looked up at Aeko. "That word Daggon called me? Melah en'i. What does it mean?"

"It's a Cirronian word. Hidden beauty." 

"My name's a… Cirronian name?" Mel whispered.

"Sure looks that way, Mel," Vic said, sitting down next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've felt worse." He smiled gently at her. "How about you?"

"I can't believe I've spent the last few months working with the bad guys…"

"I know that feeling," Aeko muttered, sighing deeply. "What's taking him so long?" she demanded finally, shaking her head.

"Would you _relax_, Aeko?" Vic suggested for probably the fifth time. 

"You want me to relax when--"

"You heard the man, Aeko," Daggon told her quietly, joining them in the kitchen. "Relax."

She let out a soft laugh. "Damn, sir. I never thought I'd be so happy to see a Tracker."

  
Daggon smiled faintly, patting the back of her neck. "How are you feeling, Vic?"

"Uh, better. Tired, but a lot better."

"Good, I'm glad. Miss Porter?"

"Uh… I'm…"

"Confused?" Daggon ventured.

  
"That's one word for it, yeah." Mel nodded, smiling weakly.

"You wait here. I need to do some things. Then we can talk. I think I can help you understand many things."

"Uh, I would _definitely_ appreciate that."

He smiled and nodded, walking to the war-room. Aeko followed on his heels.

"Did you--"

Daggon nodded, sighing deeply. "The two guards, Lana… and Zin."

"Is it true what they say?" she asked quietly. "About you and Zin?" It was not a question she had ever dared ask before.

He nodded faintly and started to transfer the captured life-forces into storage. "We were good friends for many years, yes."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"So am I."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, Aeko. It may take time, but I'll be fine."

"Good, I'm glad." The Dessarian took a deep breath. "Guess that makes it my turn?" she asked in a tone of forced cheerfulness.

"What?" he asked, frowning. 

"You spared me so I could help you get to Zin. I did. Now you can take my life-force."

He placed down the Collector, turning to face her. "Aeko, I am _not_ Collecting you…"

Her forced smile was replaced by a genuine frown as confused eyes searched his. "But… I'm a criminal."

"Not any more, child." Daggon sighed and shook his head. "You have _more_ than earned a chance to start over in the past few months," he told her gently. 

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Uh, sir… I…"

He smiled and gathered her into a gentle hug. "I could never have come this far without you, Aeko. I thank you."

She inhaled deeply, her eyes wider than before. "Wow, freedom. Uh, that could take some getting used to…" she whispered.

Daggon smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you'll manage just fine. And you are always welcome here among your friends."

She batted at tear-filled eyes. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Which? Your freedom or my friendship?" he teased gently.

"That last one."

"You've had that for awhile now, child." He smiled down at her. "Tomorrow we will establish a new identity for you and--"

"No," she interrupted. 

"No?" he asked, frowning.

"You still have fugitives to catch and I am still a trusted member of the hierarchy. I can still be useful to you."

He smiled and touched her forehead. "You're a good woman, Aeko. Your continued help would mean a great deal to me."

"You have it." She looked down as her pager went off, reading the number with a grimace. "That would be all hell breaking loose. Took them long enough." At his blank look, she explained, "It's Haag. He's called a meeting of all the Lieutenants, which apparently now means me. I've got to run."

"Okay, Aeko. Stay safe."

"You, too, sir." She gave him a half-smile and then left.

Shaking his head, he retrieved the Collector and transferred the last life-force into storage. Zin. "And nothing has changed," he murmured, sighing deeply.

"Daggon, buddy? You okay?" Vic asked gently from the door.

"I don't know." Daggon shrugged. "I just… I hadn't really thought before. I always thought on some level that catching Zin would be the end of it…"

"And now you have and there's still a whole lot of work to do?"

Daggon nodded. "How is your friend?" he asked, sitting down at his computer and starting to type.

"Good. Confused, but holding up okay. What about Aeko? She looked sad when she left. You cut her loose?"

"I tried to. She preferred to keep working with me. I think it surprised her that I didn't plan on taking her life-force."

Vic raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet it did. Surprised me too, honestly."

He looked up. "You think I did the wrong thing?"

"Man, I am in _no_ position to judge." Vic shrugged. "She saved my life, remember?"

"Mine, too. More than once since we've started working together. And too many others to count by helping me to stop Zin. She deserves a second chance."

"You're right. She does. What are you doing?" Vic asked, looking over his shoulder at the monitor.

"This is the dossier Lana compiled on your friend. She deserves to see it."

"That's not Cirronian, is it?"

"Vardian," Daggon supplied, printing the file. "Translating it will take the computer awhile, but I can read it to her."

"Good deal." Vic nodded. "She's really… not human?"

"No, Vic." Daggon shook his head. "Or, not _entirely_ human. Zin must have stumbled across the fact and then exploited it."

"How? How could he have known?" Mel asked quietly from the door.

"Miss Porter." Daggon rose and ushered her into the war-room, offering her a chair.

Mel accepted it with a grateful smile. "How did he find out?" she asked again. "I mean, it's not like I'm _obviously_ not human…"

"You like having your throat touched?" he ventured. "Was Zin in the habit of squeezing it when you were intimate?"

"Uh…" Mel shifted uneasily. 

"Maybe I should give you guys some time," Vic suggested, not particularly wanting to hear those kinds of details about Mel's love-life. 

"Okay, Vic," Daggon agreed.

"Thanks, Vic," Mel murmured, smiling weakly up at him.

"Hang in there, sweetie," Vic told her, squeezing her shoulder on his way out.

"Miss Porter?" Daggon prompted gently when Vic had left and closed the door.

"Once, he squeezed my throat _once_. How… how did you know?"

"It's a Vardian mating behavior. You enjoyed it, didn't you?"

Mel closed her eyes and nodded faintly, a little ashamed to be admitting to the fact.

"You like this kind of touch better?" he asked, leaning forward and stroking her throat.

Mel's eyes shot open. That _definitely_ felt better. "Yeah," she whispered, swallowing hard.

"That's how he knew, I think. Like Vardians, Cirronians have very sensitive throats. They're… easily stimulated." 

"This is different from the way Julius, um, _Zin_ would touch me. It feels different…"

"I know. I wouldn't touch a woman in that way unless we were married. This is a greeting for Cirronians," he explained, letting his hand fall away. He placed the printouts on the desk. "How well did you know your grandfather? Your paternal grandfather?"

  
"I didn't. He died… before I was born."

"He was Cirronian." Daggon flipped through the pages, coming to one with a photo in one corner.

"That's him. How did you get this?"

"I remotely accessed Lana's computer. There's a lot of material on you there."

"I am never taking Jess' advice on men again," she muttered. At his curious frown, she shook her head. "Never mind…" She sighed deeply. 

"Oh, that's right," Daggon said abruptly. He reached into his pocket and extracted a metal triangle. "This is yours…"

"It's my grandmother's… thing."

"Key. It's called the Key. It opens the Vault below your bar." He sighed. "It's the sacred duty of your family, Melah en'i, to protect what lies there." 

"I don't… I didn't know. If I'd known I never would have…"

"I know." He nodded, his expression understanding. "People die and secrets are lost. No one blames you."

"_I_ blame me. I can't believe that I actually fell for his lies…" She shook her head, batting at her eyes. 

"Zin is a charming man. You are not the first to have been fooled by him. I let his charm blind me as well."

She slowly looked up at him. "You?"

He nodded. "Yes. For years, he planned a prison-break right under my nose, at the facility where _I_ was warden, and I never suspected a thing."

"Wow."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, not now." Reaching out, he covered her hands with his own. She still had a lot of anger and fear and shame, and it was intolerable to him that such a lovely creature should. "Melah en'i," he began tentatively.

Her breath caught in her throat and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Nights in Zin's bed, spent dreaming of this man… they were _meant_ to find each other, there could be no doubt.

"I've been dreaming about you…"

"You have?" he asked hopefully. At her faint nod, he smiled and shook his head. "I've been dreaming of you, too. The games that Fate plays, I guess."

She nodded. "Sick, isn't it? All that trouble that could have been saved if I had never met Zin." If only she had met this man first…

"But if you never had, you probably never would have learned about your Cirronian heritage. Our people say that nothing goes wrong except to serve some greater purpose."

"You honestly believe that?"

"Not always," he admitted. "But it reminds us to seek out blessings in our despair and _that_ is a lesson worth learning. You have been used and lied to for months now. But you have learned a great truth about who you truly are."

"Yeah…" she admitted. "But I'm still honestly not… I mean… it's going to take some getting used to."

"Of course it is." He nodded faintly. "But if you _should_ ever wish to learn more about your other people or your abilities I would _love_ to show you," he told her in a quiet, hopeful voice.

"I already know a lot," she told him. 

He smiled faintly. "You will need to be untaught a lot of what you think you know. If your healing is any example, you have been badly taught. There is a lot of damage to correct. I can help you with that." 

"Just like that? Why?"

  
"I was an educator once. I love that and I miss it. But… spending time with you would be… something I would want to do even if you did not want to learn more about yourself."

"You want to spend more time with me? Like… socially?" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes. 

Sitting here with him now, just talking, felt so natural, completely right. But at the same time, she was reluctant. Not because she did not trust this man but because she had just spent months in a lie of a relationship, being controlled and misled and she felt like she had lost a part of herself. She needed that back before she could even _consider_ another relationship.

"If you'd… like that. If you don't--"

Mel blinked, forcefully reminded of Zin and his refusal to let their association end at one meeting. This man was clearly as interested in her, on _some_ level at least, as Zin had been, but was, in stark contrast, unwilling to push himself on her. 

"I honestly don't think I'm ready for a new relationship right now…"

He frowned quizzically. "But… at such a time you need friends _more_."

"Friends?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." He nodded firmly. "You need friends. You must not isolate yourself. It will only make your pain greater. In times like this, you must take comfort in your friends. It is why we are _given_ them." 

"You want to be… friends?" she asked, grinning and shaking her head. First time a strange man had ever approached her with that particular request.

His expression bemused, he nodded. "Yes, Melah en'i. I would like that very much, if you would allow it."

"I think that would be very nice," she told him, smiling and nodding. In her mind, his answering smile more than made up for the day's pain and anxiety. It was beautiful; _he_ was beautiful. 

He smiled shyly at her, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He lifted his hand to her throat, gently smoothing his fingers over the soft flesh there for a moment before dropping his hand to rest over her heart. She was a good creature, with a good heart. He smiled more confidently and nodded to himself. Their association would benefit both greatly, he was sure. 

"It is a lovely evening, Miss Porter. Will you walk with me?" he invited, dropping his hand. "We can talk. I can explain anything you would like to know." 

She smiled and nodded, rising and following him from the room.

"Vic, Miss Porter and I are going for a walk," Daggon announced as they entered the living room. "Oh, good evening, Detective Cruz," he greeted her when he saw her in the kitchen with Vic.

"Hey, John." She smiled and nodded in his direction. "Melanie." 

"Hi, Maria." Mel smiled at her. "We'll see you guys later." 

"Okay, Mel." Vic smiled at her. "You take care, sweetie." 

"You bet." Mel nodded and allowed Daggon to help her into a jacket before following him from the house. She smiled as she inhaled the crisp evening air. "Oh, we're in time to see the sunset," she noted, pleased.

Daggon smiled widely, nodding. "I love to watch the sun set. We don't have sunsets on Cirron," he told her as they started walking.

"Really?" Mel raised an eyebrow. "Your loss." 

"It is," he agreed placidly.

"You know, this is almost a cliché… The hero riding off into the sunset with the heroine…" She chuckled and shook her head. 

"We are not riding, though," he pointed out, frowning uncertainly. "We're walking."

"You always this literal?" she teased.

"Yes, Melah en'i. Vic says I'm like something called a Vulcan that way." He looked down at her, his expression uncertain. "Why are you laughing?"

Still giggling, she shook her head. "Never mind, Daggon. Never mind…"

His expression bemused, he shrugged. "Yes, Melah en'i…"

****

The End


End file.
